I’ve put this story under “rumor” because I refuse to believe that we won’t eventually be seeing this one, but a few signs are pointing towards it not happening.
Just a few days ago, I had heard this same rumor that Jeff Sneider reported on his Hot Mic podcast with John Rocha. The much anticipated Adam Sandler/Josh Safdie was DOA. What happened? I wasn’t sure, but my source had told me to “forget about it.” It wasn’t ever going to film.
Sneider is now reporting that all of the delays, which, I must remind you, happened before this summer’s strikes, had to do with not just script issues, but an actual rift between Sandler and Safdie.
As you know, Benny, Josh’s brother, is not directing films with with him anymore. They’ve split up. Sneider even implies that they both attended a wedding recently, and ended up sitting at separate tables. They’re not even on speaking terms.
This hurts. The Safdies were on their way to becoming one of the major forces of American cinema, especially after they made “Uncut Gems,” which has turned into one of the major American works of the last few years.
It’s come to the point where now Benny is also directing solo. He just announced his next film, partnering with A24, on “The Smashing Machine,” which happens to also star Dwayne Johnson. Benny is also building a successful career in acting, having had supporting roles in two well-received films this year, “Oppenheimer” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
So, Josh and Benny Safdie have definitely split up. Oh, well they had a good run with “Heaven Knows What,” “Good Time” and “Uncut Gems.” There was so much potential left, but hopefully their solo directing careers will turn out to be as artistically successful.