Summary
- Director Johan Renck explains why
Spaceman
is not a typical role for Adam Sandler. - Renck says that ”
even in his dramatic roles, he is still Adam Sandler
,” hinting at what he will be like in
Spaceman
. -
Spaceman
blends drama with sci-fi elements, including a voice role for Paul Dano as an extraterrestrial spider.
The director of Spaceman speaks on why the film is an unusual Adam Sandler movie. Directed by Johan Renck, Spaceman is a sci-fi film about a Czech man named Jakub Prochazka who overcomes adversity to become the country’s first astronaut. Spaceman is set for release on March 1 and stars a leading cast of Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Paul Dano, Kunal Nayyar, and Isabella Rossellini.
Speaking with Variety, Renck explains why Spaceman is different from a typical Sandler film. After the interviewer pointed out that Spaceman is “very different” than one might expect for a Sandler film of this title, Renck agreed. He noted that “the first thing they [viewers] see is Adam Sandler” while they “spend the first 20 to 30 minutes of the film waiting for it to be funny.” Instead, Sandler looks completely different in the role, though Renck argues that “he’s still Adam Sandler” even in this more dramatic turn. Check out the full quote from Renck below:
I do agree with you very much as in terms of what to expect for a film like this. You show it to people and the first thing they see is Adam Sandler, and then they kind of put on the Adam Sandler glasses and spend the first 20 to 30 minutes of the film waiting for it to be funny. And then they slowly realize that not only is it not funny, but Adam Sandler is not even a shadow of Adam Sandler. He’s just a dour, isolated, arrogant man. Because even in his dramatic roles, he’s still Adam Sandler.
What To Expect From Spaceman
In the past, Sandler has done well in roles that are dramatic but eccentric, including in films such as
Uncut Gems
and
Punch-Drunk Love.
Spaceman is based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kaflar. Throughout the film’s upcoming story, the narrative fluctuates between more conventional drama, as Jakub is orphaned and experiences a tough coming-of-age, and a sci-fi, space plot. One of the more wacky elements in Spaceman is found in Dano’s role. Not seen physically on screen, Dano plays the voice of an extraterrestrial spider named Hanus.
As evidenced by Dano’s role and the Spaceman trailer, the film is far from a straight, gritty drama. The zaniness involved in the film will be an interesting way to engage Sandler in his dramatic role. In the past, Sandler has done well in roles that are dramatic but eccentric, including in films such as Uncut Gems and Punch-Drunk Love. Spaceman is Renck’s chance to capitalize on this strength of Sandler’s in an excentric new way.
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Renck himself is also an interesting choice to helm Spaceman. Before the sci-fi film, Renck served as the director for the esteemed HBO miniseries Chernobyl. The director is experienced with highly dramatic work, though he is stepping into slightly different territory by transitioning into film and the sci-fi genre with Spaceman.
Source: Variety
Spaceman
Spaceman is a sci-fi drama starring Adam Sandler and directed by Chernobyl director Johan Renck. The film, based on the book Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, follows Jakub Procházka who goes on a solo mission to space and encounters a mysterious creature as he begins to lose touch with reality.
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Director
- Johan Renck
- Runtime
- 107 Minutes
- Writers
- Colby Day
- Studio(s)
- Free Association , Tango Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
