Hustle is an upcoming movie directed by Jeremiah Zagar and stars Adam Sandler. While Sandler is an actor primarily known for his comedic works, such as Happy Gilmore, Hustle will be one of his more dramatic works. Something in the vein as his highly-raised performance as Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems.
Sandler plays Stanley Sugerman, the unlucky scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. Eventually, he stumbles upon the undiscovered talent while abroad in Spain. Without the approval of his team, Stanley decides to help this untested player take his shot at going pro, which will hopefully revitalize Stanley’s own career in the process.
Who’s in Hustle besides Adam Sandler?
The player that Stanley takes under his wing is Bo Cruz, who’s played by NBA forward Juancho Hernangómez. According to Sandler, finding Bo’s actor took place during the quarantine. He, Zagar, and writer Will Fetters would work on the script over Zoom and watch videotapes of auditioning basketball players. After seeing Hernangómez’s tape, they decided that he was a natural and that it all connected. He was a great player, a young guy, and still passionate about making a name for himself.
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LeBron James’ production company and producer Joe Roth were the ones who sent over the script to Sandler, who upon reading it, decided it was something he could get excited about. Besides him and Hernangómez, Hustle will be filled with cameos from NBA players and coaches. During the interview, Sandler said that he couldn’t thank everyone in this movie enough.
When asked who he was rooting for in the NBA playoffs right now, Sandler said that was a good question but one he was unable to answer. Since he is friends with everybody now, he’s happy for all of them. Plus, if he said one team, there’d be 14 other guys who’d be very upset with him. This interview with Entertainment Weekly has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
