Adam Sandler Soars to New Heights in Netflix’s ‘Spaceman’ Trailer

Adam Sandler’s astronaut faces existentialism and marital strife in the gripping first trailer for Netflix’s Spaceman. Helmed by Chernobyl director Johan Renck and adapted from the novel Spaceman of Bohemia, this intriguing sci-fi escapade follows Sandler’s Jakub Procházka, an astronaut on an eight-month solo mission to the outer edges of the solar system.

Struggling with the challenges of isolation and the crumbling of his marriage, Jakub forms an unexpected bond with a benevolent extraterrestrial arachnid-like creature, offering him an unconventional source of support as he strives to navigate both his personal and celestial challenges.

RELATED: Netflix’s ‘The Gentlemen’ Trailer Teases Guy Ritchie’s Gangster Spin-Off

The official synopsis for Netflix’s Spaceman reads, “Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam 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 is helped by a mysterious creature (an arachnid) from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late.”

Alongside Sandler, Carey Mulligan takes on the role of Lenka, his character’s wife, while Paul Dano lends his voice to Hanuš, the spider-like creature. The film’s cast also features Kunal Nayyar as Peter, a technician, Isabella Rossellini as Commissioner Tuma, Jakub’s commanding officer, and Lena Olin. The new trailer is visually trippy and blends sci-fi elements with marriage drama, which looks both fresh and gripping. It opens with someone announcing that Sandler’s character, Jakub Procházka, is 189 days into his solo space mission and asks how he is feeling.

“What I’m doing is for everyone back home, and that makes me very proud,” says Sandler. However, when questioned about his wife Lenka, Jakub goes into an emotional spiral, struggling to cope with his isolation and missing his wife. Later, we see Jacub face disruptions on his only communication link to Earth and is approached by Hanuš (Dano), a colossal spider, deep within the spaceship’s confines. “I did not intend to frighten you, skinny human. Do not be afraid,” reassures Dano’s spider-like creature in a hushed tone.

Sandler’s Jakub is convinced that he’s losing his mind, but the spider, with an unsettling tone, tells him, “You wish to know if I am real? I am like you, an explorer. Your loneliness intrigued me.” As per the film’s synopsis, Dano’s creature is “from the beginning of time, lurking in the shadows of his ship.” Throughout the trailer, we see Sandler appearing to be grappling with loneliness and the strain in his marriage to Lenka, played by Carey Mulligan. Despite this, the foreboding extraterrestrial entity expresses a desire to lend a hand, saying, “I might be of help. I wish to assist you in your emotional distress.”

Sandler replies, “I don’t need your help,” to which the spider-like creature says, “But you do.” Now, we don’t know what sort of “help” Dano’s mysterious creature is offering, but with Sandler’s Jakub just wanting to “come home to his wife”, it’ll be interesting to see how things pan out.

Talking a bit about the film, Johan Renck, who directs Netflix’s Spaceman, told Netflix Tudum that he wanted viewers to see a different side of Adam Sandler. “I really wanted to have a performance from him that had nothing to do with the Adam Sandler we all know,” Renck said. “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.”

Netflix’s Spaceman will premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in February, followed by a limited theatrical release on February 23 and will be available for streaming on Netflix starting March 1.