Adam Sandler’s Next Movie Pays Off A 14-Year-Old Joke

Adam Sandler’s next movie sees him play an astronaut for Netflix, and the role actually pays off a 14-year-old joke from one of his previous films.

Adam Sandler‘s next movie is highly anticipated by longtime fans of the comedian, but it also pays off a joke from one of his previous movies. Sandler remains incredibly busy as an actor and comedian, starring in a variety of Netflix movies and reminding viewers of his dramatic range with occasionally different roles. The next movie that Adam Sandler will star in is Spaceman, an astronaut movie from Chernobyl director Johan Renck that also includes Paul Dano and Carey Mulligan in major roles. It is thought that the movie could be where the actor delivers another potential awards-worthy performance.

One of the fun aspects of a career as long-running and varied as Adam Sandler’s is the connections that his movies can share. Not only is he known for working with his friends repeatedly, but Sandler has even created a pseudo-shared universe that connects a handful of his projects together through returning characters. Spaceman is noticeably different in these ways, as the usual suspects from his Happy Madison comedies are missing, as are his family members. There is seemingly no direct connection to any previous Adam Sandler movies, but the astronaut role pays off a 14-year-old joke in reality.

Intentional or not, Spaceman is Adam Sandler’s chance to pay off a joke from Funny People. The Judd Apatow movie released in 2009 stars Sandler as a comedian who is diagnosed with a deadly disease. Although Sandler plays a character named George Simmons, the role essentially sees him play a fictional version of himself. One of the recurring gags in Funny People includes showing fake movies that George Simmons starred in. They included buddy comedies with Dwayne Johnson, Elizabeth Banks, and Owen Wilson, but there was also one called Astro-Not that now becomes more relevant.

With Adam Sandler starring in Spaceman for Netflix, the sci-fi movie works as a way for him to make good on the idea of playing an astronaut. Sandler’s movies have seen him play everything from a pro golfer or basketball scout to a wedding singer or jeweler. Throughout all the professions that Adam Sandler’s characters have held in various movies, an astronaut is still something he’s never done before. The fake movie Astro-Not seemed to be the only time that audiences would get the chance to imagine the comedian heading to space, but Spaceman will change that and bring the Funny People joke to life.

Spaceman’s Story Is Very Different From Funny People’s Joke

The difference between Adam Sandler’s real astronaut movie role in Spaceman and his joke one in Funny People‘s fake movie comes in the tone and story. Astro-Not is positioned as a goofy comedy where George Simmons plays a janitor who accidentally is sent to space. Netflix’s Spaceman has the makings of a potential Oscar contender that appears to have a more dramatic tone, matching a story about a Czech man becoming the country’s first astronaut. This means that the only major similarity is Adam Sandler‘s role as an astronaut, but it still makes for a fun connection in his filmography.