Besides being an actor, director, and producer, Jason Bateman is now a theoretical physicist too, as famed physicist and musician Brian Cox has recently validated his long-running space theory. Bateman is having a busy year; other than being nominated for a number of Emmy’s for his shows D** St. Louis and Black Rabbit, directing his next film, The Cackling of the Dodos, the actor-filmmaker is also hosting his own podcast, Smartless. Now, he is venturing into the rabbit hole of astrophysics, with a near-legitimate badge to prove his credibility. 

It was in the most recent episode of this podcast that Brian Cox actually confirmed Bateman’s long-held theory.

In the August 3, 2026, episode of the Smartless podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, Brian Cox was told about this long-running Jason Bateman theory that suggests that if a mirror is placed where the sun is, we could actually see a reflection of the Earth a few minutes in the past. The physicist immediately agreed with the theory, validating Bateman’s claim.

“You're right. If you put a mirror where the sun is, i guess, you'd see a reflection of the Earth as it was 16 minutes ago,” Cox explained.

Cox’s approval immediately sent the hosts into a spiral, with Bateman just glad that Cox had come to the podcast and corroborated his hypothesis, while Hayes and Arnett were ecstatic that Bateman was right all along. They jokingly suggested that Bateman should now join Cox on one of his tours, as they are now in the same league.

Further into the Smartless episode, Bateman did admit that there is a flaw in his calculations. It takes almost seven minutes for light to reach our eyes from the sun, and the same time the other way around. Therefore, we can never catch up to fully see the past. The physicist concurred and explained that it is similar to how we are seeing our computer screen in the past, but here it is just a matter of nanoseconds. 

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Jason Bateman is currently quite busy with his directorial feature, The Cackling of the Dodos, which has now entered post-production.

After a six-week shoot in New Jersey, principal photography on The Cackling of the Dodos has finally concluded. Before cameras stopped filming on July 12, 2026, production started on June 1, 2026. The movie has now moved into post-production. Several towns in Union and Bergen counties were used as the imaginary setting for Bateman's most recent tale throughout the filming process.

According to Netflix, The Cackling of the Dodos tells the tale of George, a small-town farmer whose routine day turns into a ridiculous catastrophe when he finds a body inside a grain bin. Instead of reporting the death, Denny, George's supervisor, manipulates him into taking part in an increasingly disorganized and awkward cover-up. Between his podcast and directorial venture, Jason Bateman has his hands full right now, and a small respite from Brian Cox offers a brief celebratory moment for the actor-filmmaker.

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What do you think about Jason Bateman’s space theory? Should he make a sci-fi next? Do let us know in the comments.