Free the lizard!
Netflix animated “Leo” stars Adam Sandler as an elderly lizard living in a Florida classroom who decides to escape after being told he only has one year to live.
While the premise sounds endearingly wacky, writer-producer Sandler makes the animated film a family affair with daughters Sadie and Sunny Sandler, plus wife Jackie Sandler, co-starring. Sunny Sandler recently led breakout Netflix teen film “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.”
The official synopsis for “Leo” reads: Jaded 74-year-old lizard Leo (Adam Sandler) has been stuck in the same Florida classroom for decades with his terrarium-mate turtle (Bill Burr). When he learns he only has one year left to live, he plans to escape to experience life on the outside but instead gets caught up in the problems of his anxious students — including an impossibly mean substitute teacher. It ends up being the strangest but most rewarding bucket list ever…
The logline teases the film as a “coming-of-age animated musical comedy about the last year of elementary school – as seen through the eyes of a class pet.”
Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel, and David Wachtenheim directed the animated film, produced by Sandler’s Happy Madison production banner. Sandler, along with Robert Smigel (who also stars) and Paul Sado, co-wrote the movie.
In addition to the Sandler family and co-lead Burr, Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, comedian Jo Koy, “Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander, “SNL” stars Cecily Strong and Heidi Gardner, plus longtime Sandler collaborators Rob Schneider and Nick Swardson, and Nicholas Turturro also star.
Sandler also has the upcoming Josh Safdie-directed film for Netflix in the works. The yet-untitled production is set in the world of sports memorabilia collectors and also stars Megan Thee Stallion. Sandler teased that the movie had an “insane” script that was originally 340 pages.
“I’ll read them and I’ll say, ‘I like the part when this…’ And they’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s not in it anymore. We did a whole other thing. We’re going to send you a new draft,’” Sandler said of the Safdie Brothers’ script. “They just don’t stop writing and thinking and coming at every angle they can, and this movie we’re going to do is pretty amazing.”
“Leo” premieres November 21 on Netflix. Check out the trailer below.
