Netflix’s co-CEO teased a surprising Adam Sandler sequel this week. Ted Sarandos spoke to shareholders during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call. During that presentation, the CEO discussed the success of Sandler’s animated movie Leo. “We’re kicking around Leo 2 right now,” Sarandos revealed. “The animation team is firing on all cylinders.” Launching around Thanksgiving weekend, the Sandler musical comedy ended up being the most-watched original animated feature in the history of Netflix. That’s pretty impressive considering the studios output. Clearly, Leo‘s success has people up top thinking big. Animation has really become a big push for the company and Sarandos had more praise for their output.
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“Look, I think Leo resonated for the same reason The Sea Beast did last year. People love it. And they do watch it over and over again, which drives engagement and attachment,” Sarandos added. “Leo and The Sea Beast are proof points that we can create original IP in the animated space. I’m super thrilled with Leo.”
Leo Is A Personal Movie For Sandler
Part of what makes Leo so special is the personal connection to Adam Sandler. The comedian actually wrote the script with another writer friend, and then directors David Watchenheim and Robert Marianetti got involved. The filmmakers spoke to Animation World about how Sandler managed to make this movie real. Also, his daughters provided some inspiration.
“The story goes that Sandler wanted to watch Grease with his daughters. They were about 10 or 11 at the time, maybe younger. And he realized that it wasn’t really an appropriate movie for kids. It has some sexual innuendo, stuff like that. So, he decided he wanted to make a movie about kids, for kids in middle school, and make it a musical,” Wachtenheim explained. “He had this original script that he had put together with another writer [Paul Sado]. It had some elements that were interesting, but it really didn’t feel like an animated movie. There was a narrator in it that you saw throughout, but you didn’t know until the very last page that it was a snake in a classroom.”
“He had shown that script to Smigel, and he thought that that was a great idea, to take that idea of the class pet and make that the focus. And so, he and Adam wrote this movie based on Leo as this class pet who helps the kids,” he continued. “Smigel sent us the treatment, and we came back with ideas. We were bouncing things back and forth, but then they went off and wrote the script together. So, we were always kind of involved, but not officially attached until it came time to find directors.”
Netflix’s Successful Partnership With Sandler
The partnership with Adam Sandler has been so fruitful that Netflix signed up for more projects with him in the future. Back in 2017, they dreamed of teaming with is Happy Madison Productions on more movies. Netflix’s CEO lauded the move at the time and its still paying off.
“Adam Sandler is one of the leading comedians in the film world, and his movies have proven to be extremely successful with our subscribers around the world,” wrote Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “We are thrilled at the opportunity to extend our partnership with Adam and his entire team at Happy Madison and keep the world laughing.”
Adam Sandler also said, “Love working with Netflix and collaborating with them. I love how passionate they are about making movies and getting them out there for the whole world to see. They’ve made me feel like family and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”
Do you want Leo 2? Let us know down in the comments!
