Fresh off the heels of sports drama Hustle, Adam Sandler opens up about plans for his second feature led by Josh and Benny Safdie. He and the Safdie brothers first teamed up on their critical smash-hit Uncut Gems, featuring Sandler in the lead role as a celebrity jeweler and problem gambler. The Safdie brothers are multi-talented filmmakers, and between the two they've held nearly every position in the business, including writer, director, editor, and even sound mixer. The release date for their next project with Sandler is unknown.
Uncut Gems was considered an Oscars snub for both the filmmakers and Sandler, who promised to make the worst movie ever if he didn't win the Academy Award. The film brought out the best of the Safdies' fast-paced, pressure-cooker storytelling, with their imaginative use of lighting and cross-talking. Uncut Gems was also a major flashpoint for Sandler, who was unfortunately becoming known for box-office flops dressed as family comedies before acing the role as a degenerate gambler. Sandler and the sibling filmmakers also joined forces on a short called Goldman v Silverman, but the project had a run time of just 7 minutes and featured only Sandler and Benny Safdie, the actor of the two brothers.
In an appearance on Vanity Fair's podcast Little Gold Men, Sandler speaks on the passion that goes into a Safdie brothers film. He explains that starring in the film comes at the expense of personal time, but, to the actor, the exchange is a fair one. It was first confirmed the trio would link up again in April 2022, but Sandler finally addresses real, tangible developments from the inside. Read his comments below:
So part of my brain is going, ‘Wow, once that movie starts, I’m in deep, and our lives are going to change.’ Like everybody, when you work hard, you’re tired, you’re knocked out, and you miss out on some stuff that you wish you could’ve seen. But ultimately, I know it’s going to be a few months of going after a goal that we all feel the same about. We want to do the best we can.
I don’t want to let them down... Every joke means a lot. The Safdie boys, every word means a lot to them, every frame of the movie means a lot. So I don’t want to walk through anything. I care about it, and I respect those guys so much.
A Safdie Brothers & Adam Sandler Reunion Is Perfect
Sandler has taken to dramatic acting, playing on the lead in the upcoming sci-fi movie Spaceman and fitting nicely in the basketball dramedy Hustle. But, three years later, it's still the case that 21st Century Sandler performs best when he's working under the Safdie banner, and based on Sandler's comments, he'll go to extreme lengths to meet the tough demands of their projects. Their partnership is obviously one of mutual respect and admiration, and Sandler went to bat for the brothers when the ending of Uncut Gems was criticized by select audiences. The actor also notes in his comments that cameras would start rolling in late-winter 2022.
The Safdie brothers' films bring an element of theatrical dynamism not seen in other movies. The pair often cast a non-actor to play a character that's close to their authentic selves against a seasoned performer. In the case of Uncut Gems, they lined Sandler up against former NBA star Kevin Garnett in a move that both furthered the plot and added to the realism. The Safdie's breakthrough film, Good Time, situated the shady protagonist Connie (Robert Pattinson) deep in a crime spree with escaped con Ray, played by Buddy Duress, a formerly incarcerated person who was on the run for nearly a year. If the filmmakers continue with this casting formula and retain the new dimension of performance it adds for Sandler-Safdie II, viewers will be in for another heart-palpitation-inducing treat.
Source: Vanity Fair