Every time Adam Sandler puts out another safe, juvenile piece of junk like Grown Ups or That's My Boy, it serves as a reminder of the times when he's actually attempted to act. While films like Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish, and Reign Over Me are few and far between, when Sandler goes serious he can be very effective. And perhaps after scoring another hit with Grown Ups 2 he feels comfortable going back to something more dramatic.
Sandler will star in The Cobbler, the next film from writer/director Tom McCarthy, who gave us small-scale indies The Station Agent, Win Win, and The Visitor. The Cobbler sounds like a bit of a departure from McCarthy's character driven efforts, centering on " a shoe man who has the ability to metaphysically step into the lives of the people whose shoes he repairs." McCarthy should be able to keep the amazing aspects of the film grounded in reality, as he did when co-writing Pixar's Up a few years ago.
It does appear that Sandler is looking to broaden his horizons, as he's also attached to Jason Reitman's Men, Women & Children, which he'll shoot after The Cobbler is wrapped. McCarthy had been planning his Boston Catholic Church scandal film, now titled Spotlight, as his next project but it's now being pushed to 2014 as it seeks a new studio. Dreamworks recently dropped out, leaving the film without a home, and it's unclear if Matt Damon is still circling the lead role. [THR]
