Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg are in talks to star in Columbia Pictures' comedy "I Hate You Dad," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Sandler's company Happy Madison is producing the picture, which follows a father who moves in with his son and his fiancee, only to immediately start feuding with the bride-to-be.
In what would be his highest-profile film role to date, Samberg will play Sandler's son despite a real-life age gap of less than 12 years. The duo share a common bond, as both broke out on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
David Caspe wrote the original script and the "State" team of David Wain and Ken Marino ("Wanderlust") performed a rewrite.
Heather Parry will oversee "I Hate You Dad" for Happy Madison, while Columbia's Sam Dickerman and Adam Milano will oversee the project for the studio.
Columbia picked up "I Hate You Dad" in August 2008 and while the project is still in development and awaiting a director, the two actors are attached, though Happy Madison is developing several other projects as possible starring vehicles for Sandler.
A devoted family man who famously treats his friends like family too, Sandler has never been shy about embracing the sentimental side of his sense of humor, which is why I suspect he connects with audiences around the world.
From "Big Daddy," "Spanglish" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" to "Funny People," "Grown Ups" and the upcoming "Jack and Jill" (in which he plays opposite sex twins), Sandler has always been drawn to projects that explore the dynamics of both family and/or friendship, and what it really means to be a part of those unique, often humorous relationships. "I Hate You Dad" looks to continue that trend.
I've watched Sandler's career progress since my 11th birthday, when Universal released "Billy Madison," a movie I still re-watch 16 years later. The February release of Columbia's "Just Go With It" will mark the 25th Sandler flick I've seen, which I think makes him the Brett Favre of my cinematic memories.
Some might argue that Sandler plays a variation on the same goofy character in most of his movies (his overlooked turn in "Reign Over Me" an obvious exception), but no matter how corny they are, I always welcome his films and the positive messages they reinforce, from "Bedtime Stories'" "dare to dream" to "Happy Gilmore's" "love your grandma."
From what I've seen, Samberg is poised to follow in Sandler's footsteps. Since making a bizarre big screen debut in 2007's "Hot Rod," Samberg has managed to successfully segue from "SNL" to features, with "I Hate You Dad" coming on the heels of a scene-stealing turn in the hit buddy comedy "I Love You, Man."
His feature profile will continue to rise with supporting roles in a pair of sex comedies — 20th Century Fox's "What's Your Number?" and Screen Gems' "Friends With Benefits — and he remains in contention to play Larry Fine in 20th Century Fox's update of "The Three Stooges."
Sandler is represented by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, while Samberg is repped by UTA and Mosaic.
