Spaceman: Cast, Release Date, Teaser and Plot of Adam Sandler Sci-Fi Movie - Netflix Tudum
- The Sandman is heading into orbit.March 1, 2024
In Spaceman, based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, Adam Sandler plays Jakub, an astronaut adrift in the cosmos. And even in the context of the actor and comedian’s more dramatic performances (Hustle and Uncut Gems come to mind), the film sees Sandler exploring more somber and introspective territory.
“I really wanted to have a performance from him that had nothing to do with the Adam Sandler we all know,” director Johan Renck told Netflix. “I don’t think people understand how [although] he may come across as funny and sweet and all that, he’s very intelligent, really smart, profound.” All of those qualities had to come to bear for Spaceman: For most of the film, Sandler is alone on-screen — or sharing scenes with the mysterious creature who appears on the final leg of his interstellar mission.
On the subject of that creature: The giant, spider-like alien known as Hanuš is voiced by a familiar screen presence, Okja star Paul Dano. “Paul was the first thing that came up in thinking about [the creature],” Renck said. “He has this peculiar cadence when he’s speaking, his careful formulation of words, and his very unique voice.” So not to worry, folks — Sandler won’t be entirely alone up there in the stars.
You can see a trailer for the new film above, and read on for more information about the upcoming drama.
What’s Spaceman about?
Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he’s helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it’s too late.
For Kalfař, this cosmic tale had humble origins. “Spaceman began as a short story that I wrote in my last year of college,” he told Netflix. “Originally, it was just a punch line about an American astronaut who was stranded in orbit when he received a call from his wife asking for a divorce.” As Kalfař expanded it into a full-length novel, the story grew larger and larger, eventually becoming a tale of love, space, time, and the author’s own Czech family. Not bad for a senior year college project.
When will Spaceman be on Netflix?
Spaceman is now streaming on Netflix. The film had its world premiere in February as part of the “Berlinale Special” programme at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.
Kalfař, for one, is very pleased with the adaptation. “I was completely blown away when I saw the film. I’ve seen it twice now,” he said. “I think all the people out there who love weird things and weird art will hopefully be delighted by it.”
Who’s in the cast of Spaceman?
Adam Sandler
The Brooklyn-born actor took an interest in Kalfař’s heritage as he prepared to play a Czech astronaut. Kalfař said of their collaboration: “During the quarantine, we had all these late nights, two-hour conversations about the character and about the book. And he was so curious about what it is to be Czech and the Czech history.”
That would prove to be one of the easier parts of making Spaceman; to simulate the zero gravity environment of Jakub’s spacecraft, Sandler spent much of his time on set dangling from wires. “It’s tremendously uncomfortable with all these harnesses and hanging in your own body weight,” Renck said. “[Adam] just pushed through that in an incredible way.” All in a day’s work for the Sandman.
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Paul Dano
Voiced by Dano, Hanuš is a spider-like creature from the dawn of time who shelters on Jakub’s spaceship — and may just help him find peace out in the stars.
In portraying the giant spider, Dano faced a unique challenge: making a creature that may evoke aversion as endearing as possible. “I hope that Hanuš is a little bit scary at first, because he would be. I mean, he is a giant spider,” Dano told Netflix. “Spiders, especially hairy spiders, they’re not for everybody. But he’s a kind soul and a wise man. He’s a traveler of space and time. It was easy for me to love him, and I hope the audience does, too.”
Renck, for his part, was convinced. “I don’t think I have it anymore, but I have throughout my life had severe arachnophobia,” he admitted. “Obviously the task was to make a character that’s unpleasant at first, but then you start spending time with him and you start liking him — maybe even loving him.”
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Carey Mulligan
Jakub’s estranged, earthbound wife, Lenka, is played by three-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, most recently seen as Felicia Montealegre in Bradley Cooper’s Maestro.
The relationship between Jakub and Lenka is the heart of Spaceman. “Lenka is a free spirit,” Mulligan told Netflix. “It’s a real kind of yin-and-yang thing with her and Jakub because he has such a scientific, intellectual mind and she’s so artistic and creative, and their impulses come from completely opposite places.”
The film also marked Mulligan’s first collaboration with Sandler. “I’m such an enormous fan,” she said. “I didn’t meet him until I got to Prague to shoot the film. Everyone said he was the best, but he really was. I loved every day I got to spend with him as well as every day I got to act with him.”
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Kunal Nayyar
Technician Peter is Jakub’s point of contact on Earth, and one of the only human voices he has access to out in the vacuum of space. He’s played by The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar.
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Isabella Rossellini
Jakub’s commanding officer, Commissioner Tuma, is played by legendary screen presence Isabella Rossellini — a fitting leader for a voyage beyond the stars.
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