Adam Sandler is the star of comedies like Big Daddy and Grown Ups
A group of Native American extras are believed to have quit actor Adam Sandler's work-in-progress Netflix film
The Ridiculous Six, accusing the script of 'insulting' and 'misrepresenting' Apache women and culture.
Indian Country Today Media Network reports that the extras were mostly from the Navajo Nation and objected to gags such as inappropriately placed feathers and 'offensive' names of female characters.
The Ridiculous Six is believed to be a spoof of 1960 Western
The Magnificent Seven, and co-stars Sandler films regular Steve Buscemi as well as Dan Aykroyd, Nick Nolte and Vanilla Ice.
The report quotes one of the actors who quit, Loren Anthony of the Navajo Nation, as saying: "I was asked a long time ago to do some work on this and I wasn't down for it. Then they told me it was going to be a comedy, but it would not be racist. So I agreed to it but on Monday things started getting weird on the set." Concerns included an inaccurate portrayal of Apache costumes. "We were supposed to be Apache, but it was really stereotypical and we did not look Apache at all. We looked more like Comanche," Mr Anthony told Indian Country.
Deadline reports that Netflix has defended the film in a statement from a spokesperson: "The movie has ridiculous in the title for a reason: because it is ridiculous. It is a broad satire of Western movies and the stereotypes they popularized, featuring a diverse cast that is not only part of - but in on - the joke."
Previous Adam Sandler comedies include
Grown Ups, Big Daddy and
Happy Madison.