Adam Sandler Says Netflix Asked Him to Cut China out of His New Movie

Adam Sandler‘s numerous collaborations with Netflix are far from over, and it sounds like the comedian has been open to working with the streamer to make his movies go as smoothly with the service’s directives as possible. While appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, Sandler opened up about one big change in particular that Netflix asked for on his upcoming film, Hustle: it won’t be filmed in China, as planned.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the new basketball film, for once, won’t take place in the New York region. Rather, Sandler will star as a recruiter looking for the next big star — on a separate continent. But because Netflix doesn’t currently do business with China, a spot he planned on featuring in the film, the location was changed instead to Spain.

“It was written originally that I find a player in China and somehow, Netflix is not in China. So they were like, ‘Would you guys please make it so we find someone in Latin America or Europe?’” Sandler told Patrick. “So the next thing you know, I’m in Majorca [Spain].”

But Sandler didn’t seem all that upset about the shift. After all, who would say no to a trip to the sunny climes of Spain? Certainly not Sandler, who is known to film his flicks on beaches with his friends — like Murder Mystery, Just Go With It, or 50 First Dates, as a few examples. Patrick, however, seemed a little shocked by the news.

“Wait, that’s how that happened?” he asked, with Sandler replying, “Yeah, it was originally: find a player in China.”

While it could be a bit unsettling to see such major changes at an early stage in Sandler’s new film, the shift may have actually assisted in the basketball film’s success. The swap resulted in Hustle casting a real life basketball player in the film, just like Kevin Garnett’s appearance in Uncut Gems. According to Sandler, star Juancho Hernangómez of the Memphis Grizzlies stole quite a few scenes.

“[Hernangómez] acts better than me in every scene,” Sandler said. “It’s just like, god damn it. This guy is falling, crying in the middle of a scene, doing the right thing. Every joke he says, I’m like, ‘He said it smoother than I would have.’”