We LOVE “The Sandman.”  Everything from 1989’s “Going Overboard” to 2023’s “You’re SO Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah“, he always manages to entertain us. (We are STILL waiting for a sequel to 2008’s “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan“…please)

Today, Netflix has released the first trailer for his NEXT film with the mega-streamer, “Spaceman.”  As we’ve stated again and again and again, we are WAY down the rabbit hole when it comes to aliens, ETs, NHI.  As soon as we watched the trailer, we immediately put a reminder on our calendar.  Here is what Netflix has to say about “Spaceman.”

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

The relationship between Jakub and Lenka is the heart of Spaceman, and Renck has nothing but glowing things to say about the actor who helped bring that heart to life. “Carey Mulligan is incredible, both in terms of her technical skills and her tremendous authenticity,” the director said. “I love her as Lenka. She’s such a big part of this film, and does such an extraordinary job.”

For Kalfař, this cosmic tale had humble origins. “Spaceman began as a short story that I wrote in my last year of college,” he told Netflix. “Originally, it was just a punch line about an American astronaut who was stranded in orbit when he received a call from his wife asking for a divorce.” As Kalfař expanded it into a full-length novel, the story grew larger and larger, eventually becoming a tale of love, space, time, and the author’s own Czech family. Not bad for a senior year college project.

In Spaceman, based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař, Adam Sandler plays Jakub, an astronaut adrift in the cosmos. And even in the context of the actor and comedian’s more dramatic performances (Hustle and Uncut Gems come to mind), the film sees Sandler exploring more somber and introspective territory. 

“I really wanted to have a performance from him that had nothing to do with the Adam Sandler we all know,” director Johan Renck told Netflix. “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.” All of those qualities had to come to bear for Spaceman: For most of the film, Sandler is alone on-screen — or sharing scenes with the mysterious creature who appears on the final leg of his interstellar mission.

On the subject of that creature: the giant spider-like alien known as Hanuš is voiced by a familiar screen presence, Okja star Paul Dano. “Paul was the first thing that came up in thinking about [the creature],” Renck said. “He has this peculiar cadence when he’s speaking, his careful formulation of words, and his very unique voice.” So not to worry, folks: Sandler won’t be entirely alone up there in the stars. 

Question, when the alien tells Sandler’s character to not be afraid, then why the hell did it choose the image of a giant spider.  We mean seriously, come on, is there ANYTHING more terrifying than being trapped alone with a giant alien spider in the vastness of space?

Adam Sandler’s “Spaceman” blasts off on Netflix March 1.