Adam Sandler is to star in the Netflix basketball movie 'Hustle'.

According to Variety, the 53-year-old actor is set to play the lead role in the sports flick, which is being produced by NBA legend Lebron James.

The movie focuses on a basketball scout played by Sandler, who discovers a talented player abroad and brings him to the US to prove he can make it in the NBA after previously being fired.

The film will be directed by 'We The Animals' filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar, with Taylor Materne and Will Fetters penning the script.

Sandler's Happy Madison banner will produce with LeBron and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Entertainment company.

The coronavirus crisis means it is not yet known when production will begin on the project and Sandler may shoot another movie before working on 'Hustle'.

After making six movies for the streaming service, which have included 'Uncut Gems' and 'Murder Mystery', Sandler signed a new deal with Netflix in January to make four more films with the company.

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos said: ''Whether you know him as Sandman, the Water Boy, Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, Nick Spitz or simply Adam, one thing is clear: our members can't get enough of him. They love his stories and his humour, as we saw with 'Murder Mystery'. So I could not be more excited to extend our partnership with Adam and the Happy Madison team and deliver more laughs around the world.''

'The Wedding Singer' star won Best Male Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards in February for his work in 'Uncut Gems' and used his acceptance speech to poke fun at being snubbed by the Academy Awards.

He said: ''A few weeks back when I got quote-on-quote snubbed by the Oscars, it reminded me when I briefly attended highly and was overlooked for the coveted yearbook superlative 'Best Looking'. That accolade was given to a jean jacket wearing douche bag by the name of Skipper Jenkins, but my classmates did honour me with the allegedly less prestigious 'Best Personality'.''