Adam Sandler and Netflix have been working together for almost a decade, but the fruits of their long-running partnership have been almost universally bad. In fact, the actor’s first original movie to land on the streaming service, 2015's The Ridiculous 6, earned a very rare 0% score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
So I’m pleasantly shocked that the new trailer for Sandler’s latest Netflix project looks very promising. The movie is called Spaceman, and it will see the popular comedic actor swap his usual slapstick potty humor for a more serious role, and as cinephiles will tell you, when Sandler takes a break from fart jokes, he’s actually an extremely capable dramatic actor.
What is Spaceman about?
In Spaceman, Sandler plays Jakub Procházka, an astronaut on a solitary research mission to the very edge of the solar system. Lightyears away from home, and feeling disconnected from his loved ones, including his pregnant wife (Carey Mulligan), Jakub begins to question if there will be anything or anybody waiting for him upon his return to Earth.
That’s when the disillusioned cosmonaut discovers a mysterious spider-like creature hiding in the bowels of his ship. But fear not, this alien being isn’t about to go on a Xenomorph-style rampage. Instead, the creature, known as Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano), assists Jakub in picking up the shattered pieces of his complicated personal relationships.
Of course, on the surface, an extraterrestrial arachnid might not seem like an ideal therapist, but as Jakub and Hanuš unravel the troubled man’s life, their friendship grows, and the astronaut is forced to confront his flaws and past mistakes in order to move past them.
Spaceman could be a huge hit for Netflix
Spaceman is directed by Johan Renck, who directed all five episodes of HBO’s critically acclaimed Chernobyl miniseries and deservedly won an Emmy for his work on the masterful show. The movie is based on the well-received 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Czech author Jaroslav Kalfař. So, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this one.
The sci-fi drama is scheduled to debut at the Berlin International Film Festival next month, and based on this first trailer, Spaceman could be set to rocket into our roundup of the best Netflix movies you can watch. The first look trailer presents a thoughtful sci-fi flick that will tug at the heartstrings and serves as a well-timed reminder of Adam Sandler’s serious acting chops.
Spaceman lands on Netflix on March 1, and it isn’t the only upcoming Netflix project you should be excited about either. The service is also set to premier a new Guy Ritchie show based on the British director's popular 2020 gangster movie The Gentlemen. But if you’re after something you can watch right now, check out this new Netflix true crime docuseries that is already generating online buzz.
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