Boogie Nights Director Nabs Sandler
November 9 -- Even if you giggled through the rain of frogs or the earnest sing-alongs in Magnolia, you may not have realized that arty auteur Paul Thomas Anderson has a hankering to commit comedy.
That's right, the guy who gave us the angsty Boogie Nights and Magnolia has been honing his comedic skills during the past year by writing for Saturday Night Live. Result: His next film will be a comedy starring Adam Sandler.
We could see the Big Daddy star teaming up with any one of a score of indie directors, from Spike Jonze to Kevin Smith, but even when we squint, we can't quite picture this deal.
It's extremely doubtful that this comedy venture, whose title and story line are well-kept secrets, will net Sandler an Oscar nomination, as Magnolia did for Tom Cruise.
According to Inside.com, the film will be a romantic comedy based on an SNL sketch called "The Denise Show," in which Sandler played a call-in show host who can't get over his ex-girlfriend. Anderson reportedly had Sandler and Emily Watson in mind when he wrote the script.
One thing is sure: A collaboration between the director (who peppered Magnolia with Aimee Mann songs) and the comic vulgarian (who never met a funny voice he didn't like) will feature some kind of musical comedy stylings. "Save Me From Opera Man," perhaps?New Line Cinema and Revolution Studios are in negotiations to co-finance and co-produce the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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