The first official photo has been released from The Cobbler, which recently wrapped production in New York City, under the direction of Thomas McCarthy (Win Win). Adam Sandler stars as the title character, a shoe repairman who is given a family heirloom that allows him to see the world through his customers' perspective, literally giving him the ability to walk in another man's shoes. Take a look at the photo, then read on for more details about the production from director Thomas McCarthy.

Thomas McCarthy praised his star Adam Sandler for his balanced approach to both comedy and drama.

"For a guy who's known as a funny guy, Adam has a very soulful quality to him. One of the things that makes Adam right for [the role] is that he does handle the various levels of comedy very well. And he transitions really well from comedy to drama. He can make even the smallest, simplest moments funny."

While there is somewhat of a fairy tale aspect to this story, the director, who co-wrote the script with Paul Sado, revealed that the story is partially based on his own New York City experiences.

"I lived above a shoe-repair shop in New York City that I used to walk by every day, and I always just kind of was fascinated with it, looking in and seeing an endless maze of shoes sitting around. I was kind of thinking about the expression of, 'You don't know a man until you walk a mile in his shoes' one day and what the origin of that was and what that would mean to translate that into a story."

He also talked about the barber character played by Adam Sandler's longtime collaborator Steve Buscemi, whose shops are next door to each other.

"They're characters who've spent years and years working side by side, and their real-life friendship really plays well on screen. They really seem like two guys who care about each other."