Brendan Fraser Rockets To Cosmic Sci-Fi Thriller Starman

Brendan Fraser will star in the cosmic sci-fi thriller “Starman,” coming from Emmy-winning writer and director Josh Wakely and based on Wakely’s original screenplay. Fraser takes on the role of Tom Adams, a visionary technologist who launches a historic expedition to Mars, putting himself at the front of humanity’s next great adventure. The mission goes sideways when unforeseen events leave him millions of miles from Earth, turning his groundbreaking journey into a desperate race against time. Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what it would feel like to be completely alone out there with no way home?

Beat Bugs Director Swaps Music For Silence

“Starman” follows Tom Adams, an architect of the future who built the ship that stranded him, which adds a layer of tragic irony to the whole situation. The story is driven not just by survival but by love, because apparently, even in the cold vacuum of space, a good romantic motivation beats just wanting to stay alive. Fraser will need to carry the emotional weight of a man who reached the stars only to find himself fighting to return to the one person waiting for him back on Earth.

Josh Wakely wrote the original screenplay and will direct, bringing his experience from Netflix animated series “Beat Bugs” and “Motown Magic” to a very different kind of project. Those shows used music from The Beatles and Motown, while “Starman” uses the silence of space and the ticking clock of a dwindling oxygen supply. Wakely also secured the life rights to Muhammad Ali and serves as an executive producer on the upcoming Amazon series “The Greatest,” so he knows how to handle big personalities and bigger stakes.

Grace Company Produces With Sight Unseen

The feature is a Grace: A Storytelling Company production, with Wakely and Rebecca Graham producing alongside Eddie Vaisman of Sight Unseen. Vaisman recently produced Fraser’s Searchlight movie “Rental Family,” so this marks a reunion for a team that already works well together. David S. Goyer, who wrote “Batman Begins” and “Batman v Superman,” will executive produce, bringing his experience with larger-than-life characters and world-ending threats.

Tarek Sherif and Ryan Graves are financing the feature, which begins production this summer, so filming should kick off when the weather turns warm. Anton will launch sales at the Marché du Film de Cannes, where they will unveil exclusive information about the project to potential buyers and distributors. Fraser won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Darren Aronofsky’s 2022 movie “The Whale,” proving that he can carry heavy emotional material with the best of them.

Cosmic Horror Meets Hollywood Romance

A person has to wonder whether “Starman” will lean into the cosmic horror of being stranded alone in space or focus more on the romantic drive to return home. Fraser has played dramatic roles and action heroes, so the role of a stranded astronaut fits nicely into his post-Oscar comeback era. “Starman” could be “The Martian” meets “Gravity” with a dash of old-fashioned Hollywood romance thrown into the mix.

Fraser will next portray President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Focus Features’ “Pressure,” which hits theaters May twenty ninth, so audiences will see him in the Oval Office before they see him in outer space. He also appears alongside Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray in Andy Garcia’s “Diamond,” which makes its world premiere at Cannes, so Fraser has a busy festival season ahead. The actor will also reprise his iconic role in the upcoming fourth installment of the billion four hundred million dollar grossing “The Mummy” franchise, reteaming with Rachel Weisz.

Whale Winner Carries Heavy Emotional Weight

Fraser’s feature credits include “George of the Jungle,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “Bedazzled,” “Crash,” “Gods and Monsters,” and “The Quiet American,” so he has ranged from broad comedy to heavy drama with ease. On stage, he appeared in London’s West End production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” proving that he can command a theater audience just as well as a movie crowd. Fraser is repped by CAA, Linden Entertainment, and Patty Felker, so his team has plenty of experience navigating big deals and bigger productions.

Does anyone actually believe that “Starman” will become Fraser’s next awards vehicle, or will it play more as a crowd-pleasing blockbuster with heart? The combination of a strong director, a proven producer, and an Oscar-winning lead suggests that the team aims for both critical and commercial success. “Starman” could launch a franchise or stand alone as a one-and-done space adventure, depending on how the story unfolds and how audiences respond.

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