Jeff Daniels just signed on for Brendan Fraser’s new sci-fi thriller

If you grew up on '90s cinema, you absolutely remember Brendan Fraser – he was everywhere, doing every genre under the sun. Comedies? Tick. Rom-coms? Tick. Action-adventures? Double tick. He was the bloke running about in The Mummy films, mixing ancient curses with a bit of slapstick. Then, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Fraser pretty much vanished from screens for over a decade. He later spoke candidly about a cocktail of reasons: physical injuries, mental health battles, and quite seriously, being sexually assaulted by a Hollywood exec. It wasn’t just a break – it was more like Hollywood closed up the tent and turned out the lights on him.

His recent resurgence started quietly but hit big with 2022’s The Whale, bagging him a Best Actor Oscar and making it clear his comeback wasn’t a one-off nostalgia trip. Now, with whispers swirling about The Mummy 4 and a new sci-fi picture on the horizon called Starman, the Fraser-renaissance is properly underway. And here’s where things get a bit interesting for anyone who wore out their VHS copies of Dumb & Dumber – Jeff Daniels has officially joined the cast of Starman.

Fraser & Daniels: Together at Last

Jeff Daniels is more than just Jim Carrey’s sidekick from Dumb & Dumber or the unlucky chap from Speed. He’s been a regular face on both telly and the big screen for decades, popping up in things like The Newsroom, The Morning Show, Black Bird, and even swinging by Mars in Ridley Scott's The Martian. Unlike some actors who just phone it in, Daniels actually makes whatever he's in a bit better – which is probably why people keep hiring him.

What Actually Is Starman?

Right, so what’s the gist here? Brendan Fraser leads as Tom Adams, who isn’t just your average astronaut – he’s apparently an 'architect of the future.' (Make of that what you will.) He heads up an ambitious mission to Mars, the sort of bold new dawn for humanity most films would throw a dramatic trumpet behind. Then, classic Mars film twist: things go sideways and Tom ends up stranded millions of miles from home. At stake? Not just getting back in one piece, but the emotional drive of love. Yes, they had to add that bit in.

• Brendan Fraser: Tom Adams, Mars-stranded architect and very much the star of the show
• Jeff Daniels: Ed Watkins, co-leader of the company behind the Mars mission and, most importantly, Fraser’s character’s closest ally – described as protective and powerful, but his bond with Tom goes far deeper than just business

If all this is sounding a bit familiar, you’re not going mad – Daniels also did the whole ‘helping someone stuck on Mars’ thing before, playing NASA’s big cheese in The Martian. There, he was the bureaucratic head honcho pulling strings to save Matt Damon. Here, though, the relationship between Daniels and Fraser is painted as far more personal, suggesting more of an emotional punch (and presumably, less paperwork scenes).

Who's Pulling the Strings?

Starman is written and directed by Josh Wakely. If that name doesn’t ring immediate bells, fair enough. But pay attention to the producing team: David S. Goyer is on board. He wrote Batman Begins, Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, plus the entire Blade trilogy, so safe to say he’s got some proper genre credentials. That bodes well for anyone worried about the film’s sci-fi foundations wobbling.