Adam Sandler's Spaceman trailer breakdown: 3 key takeaways

Adam Sandler is all set to return with another Netflix release this year with Johan Renck's Spaceman. This upcoming film will see Sandler as the Czech Republic's first astronaut in space on a journey that takes him away from home and into the hold of loneliness.

The cast includes Adam Sandler as Jakub Procházka, along with Paul Dano and Carey Mulligan. The official synopsis for the film, as revealed by Netflix, reads:

"Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub, 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, he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late."

The film's first trailer dropped earlier today, giving a glimpse into the world of Spaceman and all the complexities that come for a man with a mission that transcends our world.

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Spaceman trailer: 3 key takeaways from the Adam Sandler starrer

1) Adam Sandler is back in a serious role

Adam Sandler has mostly taken on rather stereotypical roles over his vast career, which has largely consisted of comedies. But the last few times when the actor did take on serious roles, like the one in Uncut Gems, he pulled it off to perfection and received critical acclaim.

For this role, which appears to be quite emotionally demanding, Sandler may once again find his footing and deliver another of his career great performances.

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2) A story of love and loneliness

The trailer for Spaceman makes the central conflict very clear. The protagonist is on a mission to the edge of the solar system as the first astronaut from the Czech Republic. There are two dominant themes that seem to guide the film, one being the love story of Jakub and Lenka, whom he leaves pregnant on their home planet, and his own battle with loneliness in a spaceship thousands of miles from home.

These two altering themes form the backbone of the story, which will see Adam Sandler exerting his emotional range to good effect.

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3) A tad of surrealism with Paul Dano

Paul Dano does not physically appear in the trailer and will probably not appear in Spaceman either, but he voices a mysterious creature from the beginning of time who joins him on the spaceship.

This spider adds a layer of mysticism and surrealism as it befriends and tries to help Jakub during the journey to come to terms with his romantic life on Earth and his loneliness on the ship.

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Spaceman is adapted from the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař. The film additionally stars Lena Olin, Kunal Nayyar, and Isabella Rossellini.

It is set for an exclusive release on Netflix on March 1, 2024. It is also set for a premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024.