Adam Sandler venturing into thrillers

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Adam Sandler's production shingle is taking a turn down a new road.

Happy Madison, a company known for comedies, has signed on to produce a thriller titled "Shortcut." It will be the inaugural picture of a nascent division dubbed Scary Madison.

The movie centers on two brothers who come upon a rarely used shortcut in their new town -- and soon discover the reasons why it's so rarely used. Andrew Seeley, Shannon Woodward and Dave Franco will star.

It will be directed by Nicholaus Goosen, who shot Happy Madison's intergenerational comedy "Grandma's Boy." Production is scheduled to start next month in Saskatchewan. Sandler and business partner Jack Giarraputo will serve as executive producers.

Happy Madison has had a litany of successful comedies with and without Sandler starring. Its latest effort, "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," in which Sandler plays an Israeli commando with a tonsorial talent, opens on Friday.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter