Adam Sandler didn't return to star in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania as Dracula, and here's why he isn't part of the cast anymore and who replaced him. The fourth film in Sony Animation's successful franchise puts a new twist on its versions of the classic Universal monster characters. With a story by Genndy Tartakovsky, Hotel Transylvania 4 follows Dracula, his daughter Mavis, and the rest of the usual crew as they are transformed into humans.

The cast of the Hotel Transylvania franchise includes recognizable performers like Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg, but it is Adam Sandler who has been at the forefront. Although Sandler's career really kicked off with Saturday Night Live and hit comedies like Happy Gilmore, he became started to choose some more family-friendly projects in recent years. Franchises like Hotel Transylvania and Grown-Ups became massively successful with Sandler at the lead. He plays Dracula in the first three Hotel Transylvania movies, but Sandler isn't in Hotel Transylvania 4.

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Adam Sandler's exit from Hotel Transylvania: Transformania was announced in early 2021 only a few months before the movie's release. It was with Sandler's following and vision for the franchise as an Executive Producer that the Hotel Transylvania films earned over $1 billion worldwide. Sandler not returning for Hotel Transylvania 4 is certainly odd, but the specific reason for his exit is not known. The decision for Sandler and the franchise to go their separate ways could've been the result of creative differences, scheduling conflicts, or even payment. Sandler was known for getting huge paydays from Sony - with a $20 million base and a cut of the box office his standard at the studio. It is possible Sony was looking to reduce the budget on Hotel Transylvania 4 and removing Sandler from the equation would do just that.

Hotel Transylvania 4 why Adam sandler did not return to dracula role

Meanwhile, Sandler and Sony's relationship strained right around the time this franchise began, and Sandler began making Netflix movies instead. Whatever happened behind-the-scenes that lead to Adam Sandler's Hotel Transylvania 4 exit, the move left Sony to find someone else to voice Dracula. Voice actor Brian Hull stepped into the role of Dracula for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Hull previously voiced Dracula in Monster Pets: A Hotel Transylvania Short Film. His other credits include Air Bud spinoffs Pup Star: Better 2Gether and Puppy Star Christmas, as well as Tangled: The Series.

Neither Sony nor Sandler has confirmed why he isn't part of Hotel Transylvania 4, but the film's directors Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon have teased that Dracula's new voice works for the story. Since the film transforms Dracula and friends into humans, they worked to make this version of the vampire feel different from Sandler's. This won't make it any less weird not hearing Sandler be the voice of Dracula in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.

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