Adam Sandler says his upcoming sports comedy Hustle was originally going to take place in China, but Netflix asked him to change the setting. In 2014, Sandler signed an exclusive deal with Netflix and achieved such success with films like The Ridiculous 6 and Murder Mystery that the streaming platform has already extended the deal twice. He is already lined up to return for Murder Mystery 2, where he will again team up with co-star Jennifer Aniston. In fact, Sandler is by far one of the service's biggest stars, and his Netflix movies have been streamed for a collective two billion hours.
One of Sandler's exclusive Netflix films will be his upcoming comedy, Hustle. The film will star Sandler as a down-on-his-luck basketball agent who attempts to make a comeback by recruiting a big talent from overseas. The film is being produced by LeBron James' SpringHill Entertainment and will also star Ben Foster, Queen Latifah, and Robert Duvall.
In an interview with The Dan Patrick Show, Sandler revealed that Netflix asked him to change the setting of Hustle, which was originally meant to take place in China. The actor explained that the streaming service doesn't do business in China, and so asked him to change the location to an area that Netflix has a foothold. The film was ultimately altered to be set in Majorca, Spain, and the player at its center will now be portrayed by real-life NBA player Juancho Hernangómez. Read Sandler's full comments below:
"It was written originally that I find a player in China and somehow, Netflix is not in China. So they were like, "Would you guys please make it so we find someone in Latin America or Europe?" So the next thing you know, I'm in Majorca."
Several years ago, China refused to broker a deal with Netflix, so the company focused on the rest of Asia rather than continuing to negotiate. It is unknown whether the decision to change the setting of Hustle reflects a similar disinterest in pursuing filming rights in China, a desire to refocus on the territories that are actually streaming Netflix, or both. It is certainly true that Netflix has had success with content from Spain, including the hit crime thriller Money Heist (La casa de papel), which is returning to Netflix for its fifth and final season this month. Given that, it makes sense from a business perspective to relocate the film to a major market like Spain.
What is truly interesting about this situation is that Netflix is taking the opposite track from most major studios. Lately, many blockbuster movies have been tailored to appeal to the Chinese box office, which frequently outnumbers domestic earnings. This includes movies like Transformers: Age of Extinction using Chinese product placement and many films making changes to appeal to the Chinese government. However, it seems that Sandler won't be tipping a Chinese soda to his lips anytime soon. It will be interesting to see if Netflix's relationship with China alters over the coming years, and how that will impact big projects on the horizon.
Source: The Dan Patrick Show