Despite Netflix tightening its belt, the Safdies are aiming to put together an impressive cast for their next collaboration with Adam Sandler.
Following the success of 2019’s Uncut Gems, you’d think that Netflix would simply open the chequebook for the Safdie Brothers and invite them to spend away, as long as it locked the duo into another collaboration with the streaming platform. After all, Uncut Gems was exactly the type of film that Netflix is looking for. A buzzy project that made a splash, cutting through the noise and even generating awards hype.
Still, this isn’t 2019 and the Netflix of today is a company that’s cutting its cloth more conservatively. As such, reports are suggesting that the Safdies are fighting a few battles to get the casting in place that they want for the follow-up project to Uncut Gems. We know Sandler will be returning and reports last week suggested that Ben Affleck and Megan Thee Stallion are also set to join the project.
According to World of Reel, Bradley Cooper was actually the Safdie Brothers’ first choice for the Affleck role, but his pay demands were deemed too high by Netflix. Likewise, Benicio del Toro was also in line to join the project but the studio also considered his pay demand to be too much.
Instead, it’s being reported that Gael Garcia Bernal and Timothee Chalamet are in line to slot into the project, and if those reported names all end up forming the ensemble, that will make quite the cast for the film, which is set to be based around the sports memorabilia world. We’re hoping that this one gets announced soon. It’ll likely be just as soon as those names are signed on the dotted lines.
Hopefully we’ll have confirmation soon, and perhaps a title is on the horizon, too. We’ll bring you more news as we hear it.
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