Adam Sandler’s name was formerly synonymous with romantic comedies such as 50 First Dates, The Wedding Singer, and Just Go With It. Nevertheless, he was also linked with goofy slapstick comedies such as Grown Ups, Jack, and Jill, and That’s My Boy. In films such as Punch Drunk Love, The Meyerowitz Stories, and Reign Over Me, Sandler was well-known for his infrequent forays into more emotional territory.
In 2019, A24 released the film Uncut Gems by the Safdie Brothers, and Sandler’s performance in the criminal thriller once again demonstrated that he was more than just a comedian. Now, following a streak of sillier comedy for the streaming service, Sandler is taking his dramatic skills to Netflix with the sports drama Hustle, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Hustle is the story of Stanley Sugarman (Adam Sandler), a basketball scout attempting to resurrect his career. Sugarman discovers Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernández), an extraordinary street basketball player in Spain, and views him as his opportunity to return to the NBA. The journey will not be smooth for the underdog player with a troubled past or for Sugarman, whose career is essentially over.
Hustle is the most recent release under his ongoing contract with Netflix. Sandler secured a contract with Netflix in 2014 to produce four films for the platform, a contract that was renewed in 2017 and 2020. Hustle is Sandler’s sixth feature since then, following The Ridiculous 6 (2015), The Do-Over (2016), Sandy Wexler (2017), The Week of (2018), Murder Mystery (2019), and Hubie Halloween (2020).
Sandler and basketball sensation LeBron James produce Hustle. The film was co-produced by Sandler’s Happy Madison subsidiary Madison 23, LeBron James’ SpringHill Entertainment, and Roth/Kirschenbaum Films. Taylor Materne and Academy Award nominee Will Fetters wrote the screenplay.
Materne has written for NBA 2K19 and NBA 2K20, whilst Fetters was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the 2018 musical A Star Is Born. The film was directed by Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals), who won the Sundance Film Festival. Hustle stars Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangómez, Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall, María Botto, and Andrea Sooch.