Sunny Sandler Steps Into the Spotlight in Netflix's 'Don't Say Good Luck'
Netflix premieres Don't Say Good Luck on 14 August 2026, a coming-of-age dramedy from director Julia Hart that puts Adam Sandler's daughter Sunny centre stage alongside Melanie Lynskey. The film is the latest product of Netflix's long-running collaboration with Sandler's Happy Madison Productions (Variety).
Sunny Sandler, 17 years old, already has 26 film credits to her name, according to Variety's review published 12 August. In Don't Say Good Luck she plays Sophie Birenbaum, a high school sophomore who lands the lead role in her school's spring production of the Broadway musical Waitress (Netflix). Lynskey co-stars as Elizabeth, a suburban mother of three who runs a local deli with her husband Ted, played by Max Greenfield. The story takes a sharp turn when Elizabeth, years after beating cancer, learns it has returned with a tougher prognosis (Variety).
The cast fills out with Stephanie Beatriz as Ms. Parker, Scarlett Estevez as Carolyn, Jack Champion as Jack, Elyse Bell as Mallory, and Steve Buscemi in an unspecified role (IMDb). Elizabeth and Ted also wrangle boisterous pre-teen twins named Ethan and Caleb.
Hart directed from a script she co-wrote with Jordan Horowitz, with a story credit to Laura Hankin. Hart's previous work includes the Stargirl films for Disney+ and the 2018 indie superhero film Fast Color (Variety).
Netflix rated the film PG-13 and is categorising it as a drama, with the company's own promotional materials describing it as a coming-of-age dramedy (Netflix). The streaming platform confirmed the 14 August global release date across its official YouTube trailer, Instagram account, and Tudum newsroom (Netflix Tudum; Instagram).
The Happy Madison partnership with Netflix has been one of the longest-running production deals in streaming, dating back to 2014. That arrangement has yielded dozens of films across comedy and, increasingly, other genres.
For viewers, Don't Say Good Luck arrives on a Thursday — Netflix's standard release-day slot for originals — giving it a full weekend to find an audience before the following week's new titles land.
