Adam Sandler looks to rise again in 'Transylvania'

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The "Twilight" blood-suckers aren't the only big-screen vampires at Comic-Con. Adam Sandler's putting the bite on audiences, too.

On opening day at the fan convention Thursday, Sony Pictures previewed footage of Sandler's animated comedy "Hotel Transylvania," in which he provides the voice of the grand-daddy of vampires, Dracula.

It's the follow-up to a rare flop for Sandler, whose string of hits came to an end this summer with the dud "That's My Boy," co-starring Andy Samberg.

Opening Sept. 28, "Hotel Transylvania" against co-stars Samberg, who provides the voice of a human falling for Dracula's vampire daughter.

"Hotel Transylvania" director Genndy Tartakovsky says he's not worried that Sandler and Samberg are coming off a flop. The filmmaker says his PG-rated family tale is wildly different from the R-rated "That's My Boy."

"Movies go up and down, and I don't think there's every been a history of one movie flopping and then a career ending for that person," Tartakovsky said in an interview. "There are a lot of rebounds to this business.

"And our film's for a different audience, so we weren't worried either way. Our movie stands alone, really well on its own, and it's Dracula with Adam's voice. It's a family film."

The voice cast includes Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Jon Lovitz, David Spade, Cee Lo Green and Molly Shannon.

Sony's "That's My Boy" was a departure for Sandler, who has been one of Hollywood's steadiest earners since the mid-1990s, with such $100 million hits as "The Longest Yard," "Anger Management," "Big Daddy," "Click" and "Grown-Ups."

With a raunchier edge than his usual PG-13 comedies, "That's My Boy" failed to pack in Sandler's fan base of males in their teens and 20s, the movie taking in just $36 million.