While the sequel to Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler is expected, Josh and Benny Safdie, who made the first movie, have officially announced that they will no longer work together.
Speaking to Variety, 37-year-old Benny Safdie confirmed that he and his older brother, two years his senior, had broken up professionally. Arguing that this break was amicable, he made the following statements:
It was a natural development of what we both wanted to explore. I’m going to direct myself and explore the things I want to explore. I want that freedom in my life now.
When asked if he would ever make another movie with his brother Josh, Benny Safdie replied, “I don’t know.”
Variety reports that the sequel to Uncut Gems, which was released in 2019 to great acclaim, has been put on hold.
Variety, one of the most established publications in the world of cinema, announced that the brothers are expected to shoot the new movie together again, but Benny Safdie said that “despite reports to the contrary, he was not involved in the script writing and did not play a meaningful role in the creative process.”
Released in 2017, Good Time, directed by Benny and Josh Safdie, also managed to score a high 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregation site like Uncut Gems.
The New York-born brothers were often seen together at games of the city’s NBA team, the New York Knicks.
It was recently announced that Benny Safdie will be directing a solo movie called The Smashing Machine. The project, in which Dwayne Johnson will play MMA fighter Mark Kerr, will deal with issues such as fame and addiction.
