John and Benny Safdie became household names (relatively speaking) with the release of their 2019 film Uncut Gems. This anxiety-inducing, 135-minute heart attack of a movie stars Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a New York City jeweler and degenerate gambler whose constant angling and desire to win big puts himself in a few very unsavory situations with some very dangerous men.

Uncut Gems has been a long-time passion project for the filmmaking brothers, having written the first draft of the film all the way back in 2009. But it wasn’t until their recent success were they finally given the opportunity to create what many fans consider their manic magnum opus. The ten-year, on-again off-again development process was about as chaotic as one of their movies, but this gestation period resulted in one of the best films in recent years. In other words, it was more than worth the wait.

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The Early Stages

Poster for Daddy Longlegs
Red Bucket Films

The first kernel of an idea for Uncut Gems came after the directing duo’s second full-length feature, Daddy Longlegs, which covers two weeks in the life of a divorced father and his two young sons. The film was a semi-autobiographical depiction of the Josh and Benny's childhood and their strained relationship with their own father.

Continuing the trend, Uncut Gems was also inspired by their father, who for a time worked in New York City’s diamond district. In a sense, Howard Ratner is an amalgamation of all the oddball characters their father worked with on a regular basis.

Ronald Bronstein, who played the lead in Daddy Longlegs, became close friends with Josh and Benny, and worked with them on the first draft of Uncut Gems (and the reported 120 drafts that followed). Right from the jump, they knew exactly who should play Howard: Adam Sandler. The Safdies needed the audience to care for the exceedingly selfish Howard, and Adam Sandler - one of the world’s most cherished comedians and actors - was, in their eyes, the only actor capable of pulling off that high-wire act.

Still, the directors were small fries in the industry. With a few shorts and one well-received but little-seen indie film under their belt, Josh and Benny didn’t have enough clout in Hollywood to get their script in front of one of its biggest stars. But that didn’t stop them from trying. They just realized if they wanted to make Uncut Gems without compromise, they'd have to wait a little longer.

The Ten-Year Path to Overnight Success

Poster for Josh and Benny Safdie's 2014 film Heaven Knows What
Radius-TWC

Uncut Gems takes place in a very specific part of New York City: Manhattan’s Diamond District. The vibe and atmosphere there is entirely all its own, and if the Safdies were going to accurately depict it on screen, they’d have to know everything about it.

While Josh was researching “undercover” in the diamond district, he met Arielle Holmes, a recovering heroin addict who happened to be homeless at the time. Something about her caught Josh's attention, and over the next few months a friendship formed between her and the brothers. She told them all about her life as a drug addict in New York City, and the brothers were so taken by her story that they convinced her to write a memoir, which they paid her for by the page.

Although Holme’s memoir was never officially published, the brothers adapted it into 2014's Heaven Knows What, with Arielle Holmes playing herself in the lead role. When the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, it received effusive praise, and Josh and Benny were suddenly getting attention from some big names and producers.

One of which was A24. The art-house studio was so impressed with Heaven Knows What that they offered to produce their next movie. With a reputable production house backing them and a blossoming reputation as boundary-pushing directors, Josh and Benny thought they might finally be able to get Uncut Gems off the ground.

But then Robert Pattinson called. The actor, who in his post-Twilight years has been drawn to edgier (and weirder) roles, saw the poster for Heaven Knows What and was so taken by it that he reached out to Josh and Benny and expressed his desire to work with them on anything they wanted, sight unseen.

They were obviously enthused, but there was one problem: Pattinson was nowhere near right for the role of Howard Ratner. So the Safdie Brothers instead wrote a whole new script specifically for him, which would eventually become 2017’s Good Time.

If Heaven Knows What opened some doors for Josh and Benny, Good Time opened the floodgates. While the film wasn’t a total commercial success, it quickly became an indie sensation. The Safdies were now on everyone’s watch list, and A24 was eager to stay in business with them. Martin Scorsese - not only a cinematic staple but also the pre-eminent director of New York City - considered himself a fan, and agreed to produce the duo’s next feature.

Now was finally the time for Uncut Gems.

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Making Uncut Gems

Adam Sandler in the poster of Josh and Benny Safdie's film Uncut Gems
A24

When Uncut Gems was officially announced, Jonah Hill was attached to play Howard Ratner. And while they loved the actor, Josh and Benny never really thought he was right for the role Eventually Jonah moved on, and Safdies took one last shot at nabbing their white whale: Adam Sandler. Because of their recent successes, the brothers were finally able to get their script in front of the Sandman. And much to their amusement, Sandler fell in love with the script and agreed to make the movie.

Landing Adam Sandler for the lead role wasn’t their only casting hurdle. Basketball is a big part of the film; Kevin Garnett plays himself in a fairly meaty role, and a key 2012 play-off game serves as the backdrop for the nerve-rattling climax. But it wasn’t easy landing KG, and the directors faced a lot of challenges when trying to cast his role.

The role was originally written for Amar’e Stoudemire, but plans fell through as the film kept getting pushed back. The Safdies then rewrote the role for Kobe Bryant, who was interested at the time, but dropped out as production was gearing up. Josh and Benny toyed with the idea of setting the story in the present day, but realized that filming would directly interfere with the basketball season, meaning any current players were off the market. So they started looking at retired players, and finally landed on Kevin Garnett.

Outside a few supporting roles, like Idina Menzel as Howie’s wife and LaKeith Stanfield as his business associate, most of the actors in the film are first-timers. Julia Fox, for example, made her feature-length debut in the film. And Phil - the big tough that looms over Howie’s shoulder throughout the movie - was spotted in a diner by the brothers and asked to be a part of their movie on the spot.

For the film's propolsive soundtrack, Josh and Benny turned to their friend Daniel Lopatin - aka Oneohtrix Point Never - who also scored Good Time. It's perhaps one of the unique aspects of the movie; a jittery, synth-heavy score that fluctuates between nerve-shredding and euphoric.

With all the pieces finally in place, Uncut Gems started production in September 2018. The film made its world premiere less than a year later at the Telluride Film Festival.

And well, we all know what happened next.

Life After Gems

Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems
A24

Since the premiere of their first film The Pleasure of Being Robbed all the way back in 2008, the Safdie Brothers have steadily become some of the most talked-about directors working today. Their gritty, fast-pace style is obviously inspired by the works of Cassavetes and Scorsese, but their films still manage to be unique and entirely their own.

And the Sandman is excited to keep working with them, having hinted at their next project together. While no firm details have been released, the current iteration of the script is a whopping 340 pages (which isn’t too surprising given their propensity for fast-talking dialogue) and is set in the sports world. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another decade to get this one made.

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