Spaceman director says he wanted to create an Adam Sandler role with zero Adam Sandler in it

Adam Sandler is well known for his comedy chops, as well as his impressive dramatic performances in films like Uncut Gems. However, his latest project Spaceman looks set to be his most unique yet.

Speaking to Total Film in our new issue, which features Dune 2 on the cover and is out this Thursday, director Johan Renck tells us about his decision to un-Sandler Adam Sandler in his upcoming sci-fi. 

"I love him as an actor, and I’ve grown to have a very deep, profound love for him as a human being," says the Chernobyl director. But despite his admiration, his ultimate goal was to "make a character that is zero Adam Sandler. Even in Punch-Drunk Love or Uncut Gems, there’s always an aspect of Adam, which is great, but I really wanted to diminish that. I told Adam, 'I want to turn you into me.'"

In the upcoming Netflix space drama, Sandler plays Czech astronaut Jakub Procházka who is on a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system. The official Netflix synopsis reads: "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 flick, based on the novel 'Spaceman of Bohemia', also stars Maestro’s Carey Mulligan as Lenka, The Batman’s Paul Dano as the spider-like creature, Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, and Isabella Rossellini.  

• Pre-order the Dune 2 issue of Total Film

Spaceman releases on Netflix on March 1. You can read more about it, and a whole lot else besides, in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, February 1. Check out the covers below:

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You'll get every issue before it's in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers.