Collider - Johan Renck

How Johan Renck’s Gritty, Real-Life Gangster Miniseries Set the Stage for ‘Chernobyl’ and ‘Spaceman’

Billy Fellows — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 15:10:12 GMT

Johan Renck has certainly had a fascinating career. The Swedish creative began in the music industry creating songs before directing music videos for artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Robbie Williams. However, despite his success, it is arguably his work in the television sphere that is his most celebrated. Not only do his IMDb credits include Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead for AMC, but his creation of the miniseries Chernobylis hailed, rightfully, as one of the greatest TV shows of all time.

'Spaceman's Director Reveals the Plot of His Upcoming Barry Keoghan Project

Steven Weintraub — Sun, 03 Mar 2024 18:42:07 GMT

Johan Renck's latest film, Spaceman, stars Adam Sandlerand Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan in a bizarre space drama that explores the furthest reaches of the solar system and the depths of human emotion. Sandler plays Jakub, an astronaut on a solo mission to explore the mysterious Chopra Cloud, leaving behind his pregnant wife (Mulligan) on Earth. Six months into his trek, Jakub begins to experience loneliness and fears of losing his loved ones, which also happens to be when a bizarre stowaway, voiced by Paul Dano, appears to help the man navigate his feelings.

'Spaceman' Review — Adam Sandler Befriends Giant Spider in Netflix Sci-Fi Film

Ross Bonaime — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:35:04 GMT

At this point, it’s not surprising when Adam Sandler gives a strong performance in a drama. From the first glimpses of this in Punch-Drunk Love to the under-appreciated The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) and Hustle and, of course, the jolt of adrenaline that was Uncut Gems, it’s entirely possible that Sandler has found more consistency as a dramatic actor than as a comedian. But even when Sandler is taking on more serious roles, there are some consistencies between these and his funnier roles. Sandler likes to play characters prone to angry outbursts, as if no matter what, his characters are ticking time bombs, ready to explode. It’s also rare to see Sandler without someone to play off: there’s always a Drew Barrymore/Kevin James/David Spade, etc for him to react to.

'Spaceman' - Everything We Know About The Adam Sandler Sci-fi Drama

Maddie P — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 21:30:12 GMT

The news about Adam Sandler's next dramatic role, Spaceman has been floating around since late 2020, but now the film is all set to premiere in 2024. The sci-fi drama adventure film is based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Czech author Jaroslav Kalfař, published in 2017, and features Sandler as the titular astronaut, Jakub. Directed by Johan Renck of Chernobyl fame and written by Colby Day, Spaceman follows an astronaut who is sent on a mission to outer space, where he meets and befriends an ancient creature that has stowed away on his ship. The film, akin to the book, is described as “an intergalactic odyssey of love, ambition, and self-discovery.”

Dune: The Sisterhood Series Sets Johan Renck to Direct First Two Episodes

Aidan King — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 20:42:32 GMT

Back in June 2019, it was announced that Denis Villeneuve would be making a prequel series for his, at the time unreleased, adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. At the time, it was said Villeneuve would be directing the pilot but now, it has been announced that Emmy winning director Johan Renck has signed on to direct the first two episodes of Dune: The Sisterhood.

Queen's Gambit Creator Scott Frank to Write FX Series The Sparrow

Jeff Sneider — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 22:34:49 GMT

I still haven't seen The Queen's Gambit, because once something becomes popular, it seems I'm no longer interested, but the show's celebrated creator Scott Frank has found his follow-up, and it sounds absolutely wild.

Queen’s Gambit Creator Developing Sam Spade Series with Clive Owen

Tom Reimann — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:26:49 GMT

The Queen’s Gambit has been dominating the board, so to speak. Since its relatively inauspicious debut this October on Netflix, the limited series has grown via strong word-of-mouth to become one of the most talked-about shows of the year. Riding that wave of success, co-creator Scott Frank understandably has a slew of future projects in development, including a potential limited series adaptation of famed fictional detective Sam Spade starring none other than Clive Owen.

Adam Sandler to Star in Netflix Space Movie from Chernobyl Director

Gregory Lawrence — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 20:29:42 GMT

Hubie Halloween is a polarizing one. Some people love Adam Sandler's latest Netflix offering, calling it a return to his earlier, sillier form. And some people (like our own Allie Gemmill) call it "very, very bad," making us wish he'd return to his dramatic roles like Uncut Gems or Punch-Drunk Love. For the Sandman's next movie, he just might thread those two needles. Per Deadline, Sandler is making another film for Netflix as part of his ongoing deal, but with a twist: It will be a serious, science fiction, space-set drama directed by a helmer of acclaimed HBO miniseries Chernobyl.

The Last of Us HBO Series Scores Chernobyl Director for First Episode

Allie Gemmill — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 15:21:20 GMT

As the HBO adaptation of acclaimed Naughty Dog video game The Last of Uscontinues to take shape, we've learned who has boarded to both direct the first episode and serve as an executive producer. Back in March, we learned Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin was working with Neil Druckmann, the Last of Us franchise creator to adapt the post-apocalyptic video game into a live-action HBO series. Mazin and Druckmann are serving as executive producers and writers, with CarolynStrauss and EvanWells, the president of Naughty Dog, also executive producing. Additionally, The Last of Us composer GustavoSantaolalla will be back to score the TV series.

Chernobyl Director in Talks to Adapt The Magus For 1917 Producers

Tom Reimann — Thu, 28 May 2020 21:50:19 GMT

Fans of bleak metafiction rejoice! Johan Renck, the Emmy-winning director of the hit HBO series Chernobyl, is in talks to adapt the bizarre 1965 cult novel The Magus by John Fowles. The miniseries is being produced by Neal Street Productions, who handled production duties on Sam Mendes’ Oscar-winning film 1917. (Mendes is also one of the production house’s heads.)