Happy Madison's losing streak could finally end with Adam Sandler's next movie, Hustle. Since 2016, the company has produced nine feature films, all of which have been mostly panned by critics. Happy Madison movies have indeed been incredibly popular amongst streamers, but Sandler and company haven't seemed all that interested in offering a quality product to loyal fans. However, Hustle may be poised to be the next film to please audiences and critics alike.
Sandler evolved into a true Hollywood star after leaving Saturday Night Live during the early '90s. After headlining simple-minded yet hilarious films such as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore, he showed more ambition with late '90s comedies like The Wedding Singer and Big Daddy. Then, in 1999, Sandler formed Happy Madison Productions and took control of his career by making accessible movies with his inner circle of Sandlerverse friends. By 2002, Sandler teased his potential as a dramatic actor with a starring role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love, but then returned to producing convenient cash grabs for Happy Madison Productions. Nearly two decades later, Sandler did the same thing by stunning fans with an acclaimed dramatic performance in the Safdie brothers' Uncut Gems, only to then produce and star in the nostalgia-driven Happy Madison flick Hubie Halloween.
The next Happy Madison movie seems like an outlier in the company's filmography. With Hustle, Sandler co-produces with LeBron James' SpringHill Entertainment and stars as an aging basketball scout who discovers a street basketball phenom during a trip to China, and then tries to re-establish a relationship with the NBA. Not only does Hustle have international appeal with its premise, but it's also the ideal role for Sandler. He can once again play the underdog, but not as a buffoonish type (as seen in so many of his previous Happy Madison films). In Hustle, Sandler co-stars alongside Ben Foster (Hell or High Water, Leave No Trace), Queen Latifah (Chicago, The Equalizer), and the legendary Robert Duvall (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now), all of whom are known for their brilliance as versatile performers. Rather than making another formulaic comedy, the actor appears to have listened to criticism from fans: the next Sandler Netflix movie could be a quality picture, one that could potentially be a modern sports classic with a timely and relevant message.
Hustle will be directed by Jeremiah Zagar, which suggests that Sandler is serious about ending Happy Madison's losing streak, or at least changing the company's identity in the 2020s. In recent years, Sandler has enlisted Steven Brill to direct three films (The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, Hubie Halloween), and also collaborated with Tyler Spindel for two features (Father of the Year, The Wrong Missy); however, Hustle will be helmed by someone from outside the Sandlerverse — Adam Sandler's Hollywood family, so to speak. Zagar is best known for directing the 2008 basketball-themed documentary In a Dream, and later made his feature debut with the 2018 movie We the Animals (now streaming on Netflix). Since Zagar isn't known for directing comedies but rather dramas, Hustle will presumably have a serious tone. It's also worth noting that screenwriter Taylor Materne makes his feature debut after having previously written for the NBA 2K franchise.
If Sandler or one of his long-time industry collaborators had written or directed Hustle, then fans could rightfully be concerned about the overall quality. However, the inclusion of James and Zagar implies that Happy Madison is willing to depart from their usual formula for a story that will undoubtedly resonate with various demographics. The NBA premise has massive appeal, and Sandler has proven through multiple character-driven films that he's fully capable of delivering in such a role. Still, fans may be curious if he'll deliver a purely original performance or simply rely on character traits that fans are familiar with. Hopefully Duvall, Foster, and Latifah inspired Sandler to deliver his best acting with Hustle, a film that could possibly change Happy Madison's reputation.