Analysis: Here’s what the Netflix-Adam Sandler deal could give each side

Adam Sandler isn’t a big digital guy. He’s copped to as much recently, telling reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival last month that he by and large avoided Twitter (he has an account but rarely tweets from it) and other forms of social media. (He does sort of like Wikipedia.)

Sandler chalked up this techno-agnosticism to him being “busy doing other stuff.” Some of that, apparently, is making 21st century deals after all. Sandler and Netflix announced Wednesday evening that they were partnering on four new films. After rejuvenating the career of Keyser Soze and finding new life in the women’s prison drama, the future-minded folks of Los Gatos were now turning to the man who was once Billy Madison. Give us your tired your poor, your huddled former box-office A-listers, yearning to break free.

You have to admire the commitment to the enterprise. Sandler is one of the hardest-working actors in show business, keeping a pace of more than a movie per year for the past two decades. So he’d get to four films quicker than the rest. Still, four movies don’t come easy no matter how much you work. (It does bear emphasizing that this is not his four next movies -- he’ll keep doing his studio stuff -- and in fact there’s no guarantee we’ll ever get close to that number; like most long-term deals in Hollywood, these are options, not obligations.)

Also not explicated in the announcement is exactly what kind of movies Netflix is signing up for and what kind of scrutiny the company will exercise on scripts. If history is any indication, they’ll give the talent wide berth, which means this is Sandler’s chance to really mix it up with some unexpected directors. If you’re a filmmaker with a risky or reinvention story in mind, your agent should have been calling Sandler’s people at WME an hour ago. At the very least here’s hoping he doesn’t just pull something out of the drawer with his Happy Madison production banner, which is part of the deal. “Grown Ups 5” doesn’t need Netflix’s boldness to get to a greenlight.

(One side question if this keeps up -- Netflix’s stream and day-and-date policies automatically invalidate films for Oscar contention. If they hope to lure serious projects, that’s going to be an obstacle.)

The timing of the news was a tad odd. It came the night of the opening of Sandler’s “Men, Women & Children.” In the film, his character‎ does spend a lot of time on the Internet -- looking at porn and booking escorts.

That bit of experimentation doesn’t seem to be working out as planned, and it’s hardly a secret the actor isn’t the draw he once was in bread-and-butter comedies either.

Still, it’s a coup for Netflix. Sandler is long known among syndication and re-air types as the King of Cable for how his movies pull a number even on their 237th broadcast, so new movies will offer a little bit of synergy. (Netflix noted in its announcement that the old films play well on its service too.)

And Sandler’s no doubt lost some luster but he still brings them in, especially when he has other big stars around him--he has a trio of $100-million grossers since 2010 all in that vein. In that sense the Sandler deal comes in a similar mold as the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” sequel Netflix boarded earlier in the week--a brand that doesn’t have the equity it once did (and this isn’t as expensive as it once was) but still means something to plenty of film fans.

Until now, Netflix has been about creators. But apparently they want in on the star game too. Sandler, for his part, wants back in on the heat, the mojo, the water-cooler -- in short, on the way people once talked about him but now talk about Netflix. The two just landed one other. Now we’ll see if they can each get what they want.

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT