Adam Sandler is set to star in a Netflix adaptation of Jaroslav Kalfar’s 2017 sci-fi novel Spaceman of Bohemia, according to Deadline.
Johan Renck, director of the Emmy-winning series Chernobyl, will helm the project, which remains untitled, and will see Sandler ostensibly star as Jakub Procházka, a Czech-raised orphan and the country’s first astronaut who is sent on a solo mission to the outer edges of the galaxy, but quickly discovers he might not be alone on his voyage. The source material will be adapted by Colby Day.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the perfect partner in Adam,” Renck said of the Uncut Gems leading man’s involvement. “And now, with the support of the brilliant Netflix family, I am profoundly excited to set off on our impossible journey.”
After the recent release of Hubie Halloween, the movie will mark yet another collaboration between Netflix and the Sandman, who is in the process of filming basketball-themed comedy Hustle for the streaming service.
It also hints at a return to a more serious role for the actor, after receiving widespread acclaim for his performance in the Safdie brothers’ 2019 thriller, as well as his turn in Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories. The wait for Sandler to deliver on his threat of a making a movie “so bad on purpose,” it seems, goes on.