Adam Sandler, LeBron James Team Up for New Netflix Movie

Netflix favorite Adam Sandler and basketball star turned producer LeBron James are set to team up for a new movie on the streaming service. Variety reports that Sandler will star in the new film Hustle, a basketball drama written by A Star is Born scribe Will Fetters and Taylor Materne. We the Animals director Jeremiah Zagar is set to step behind the camera for the film. The trade reports that Sandler will play “an American basketball scout” in the movie, who is unjustly fired from his position and goes on to discover a “once-in-a-lifetime player abroad” with hopes of bringing him to the United States and proving they both can make it in the NBA.

Sandler will produce the film through his Happy Madison banner along with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment, and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films. There’s no details on if James himself will appear in the film, but considering his involvement behind the camera and the subject matter of the story then a cameo wouldn’t be out of the question.

It’s also unclear when production on the film could even begin as the coronavirus pandemic continues to lock down sets around the world. To make things perhaps a little more complicated with regard to when it will film, Variety reports that Sandler may shoot another movie before committing to filming Hustle. Since making a splash in critical circles last year with the drama Uncut Gems, Sandler has committed to taking time to finding his next project.

The other film that Sandler might shoot before Hustle is perhaps the recently announced Dan Pan. Another original for Netflix, it’s unclear exactly what that movie is about at this point but it’s seemingly under the Netflix/Sandler exclusive umbrella, a deal that was extended earlier this year by the streamer.

“Whether you know him as Sandman, the Water Boy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Nick Spitz or simply Adam, one thing is clear: our members can’t get enough of him,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “They love his stories and his humor, as we saw with Murder Mystery. So I could not be more excited to extend our partnership with Adam and the Happy Madison team and deliver more laughs around the world.”

As for LeBron James, the four time MVP in the NBA can be seen on the big screen in the upcoming Space Jam: A New Legacy which he previously confirmed is still in good shape to make its summer 2021 release date as post-production continues on the film.

(Cover photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage & Kevin Winter/Getty Images)