Sandler signs New Line pact
Comedic thesp garners mega-coin with two-pic deal
The new deal wraps Sandler's previous commitment to the studio -- the comedy "Little Nicky" -- together with a blind deal for another picture.
In February, after the $22 million opening of its romantic comedy "The Wedding Singer," New Line pledged to pay Sandler $12.5 million for his acting duties in "Nicky."
Execs last week were tight-lipped about Sandler's fee for the second pic. But given his "Nicky" payday, and the subsequent $39.1 million opening for "The Waterboy," it's sure to be well above $12.5 million, and include a sizable back-end.
Assuming that his foreign appeal grows somewhat, Sandler could follow in Jim Carrey's footsteps as one of Hollywood's highest-paid comic actors.
New Line Prods. prexy Michael De Luca said Sandler will make the two pics consecutively for New Line. VP of production Brian Witten was responsible for bringing Sandler in for his third tour of duty at the studio.
For the new pic, New Line has pacted with Sandler and producer Jack Giarraputo. "Wedding" scribe Tim Herlihy and producer Robert Simonds are not part of the deal as it stands, but they may become involved. Herlihy and Sandler are writing "Nicky" together, and Giarraputo and Simonds are producing.
The four also worked together on "Waterboy," and are teamed on Sony's upcoming Sandler vehicle, "Big Daddy."
The next film likely will be based on an idea cooked up by Sandler and his collaborators. "Adam and Jack are an industry among themselves," De Luca said. "We're looking to them to generate material."
Sandler, whose feature credits include "Happy Gilmore," "Billy Madison" and "Bulletproof," is a "Saturday Night Live" alumnus. He's repped by Endeavor and manager Sandy Wernick. Attorneys Craig Jacobson, Tom Maguire and Scott Sandler negotiated for Sandler and Giarraputo.
David Alper, New Line senior VP of business and legal, repped the studio.
