Project Hail Mary Hints at a Sequel (But It’s Not Going to Happen)

This post contains spoilers for Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary is something of a rarity in Hollywood these days. It’s a big-budget genre film that isn’t rooted in Hollywood IP and seemingly doesn’t have any larger franchise aspirations. It’s just aiming to enthrall audiences with an emotional, self-contained story about one man and his unlikely alien friend attempting to save their planets. But now that Project Hail Mary has scored enthusiastically positive reviews and is poised to become a massive box office hit, sci-fi fans are probably wondering if a follow-up will ever see the light of day — especially since a scene towards the end of the film appears to hint at a sequel.

In Project Hail Mary, Ryland Grace and Rocky work together to develop “Taumoebas,” organisms capable of eating the Astrophage that is responsible for dimming the sun. Shortly after the two friends part ways to bring their share of Taumoebas home, Grace realizes the Taumoebas have evolved and can eat through their xenonite containers. Since Rocky’s ship is made entirely of xenonite, this puts him in grave danger, as the Taumoebas will consume the Astrophage fuel, leaving Rocky stranded. Instead of returning to Earth, Grace sends his findings to Eva Stratt via probes and decides to go back to save Rocky, bringing him home in the Hail Mary.

It’s then revealed that Grace is living on Rocky’s planet in a biodome mimicking Earth’s atmosphere. In the film’s final sequence, Rocky informs Grace that the Eridian scientists are wrapping up work to prepare the Hail Mary for the journey back to Earth. This seemingly sets the stage for a sequel movie where Grace travels back home, but fans shouldn’t get their hopes up.

Why a Project Hail Mary Sequel Is Unlikely To Happen

The most obvious reason why Project Hail Mary isn’t getting a sequel is that no such story exists. Author Andy Weir wrote the book as a standalone, and while he’s teased that he has “bits and pieces of good ideas” for a follow-up, he hasn’t formally moved forward on writing a new Project Hail Mary novel. Instead, Weir is currently working on a new standalone sci-fi novel. Plot details haven’t been made public yet, but after the success of The Martian and Project Hail Mary, movie studios will surely be interested in acquiring the film rights. Of course, there’s always the possibility that a screenwriter takes a stab at a Project Hail Mary follow-up sans source material (not every Jurassic Park sequel is based on a Michael Crichton novel), but it would feel very wrong to add to Weir’s story without the author being involved in some capacity.

Weir has said that if he’s ever going to write a Project Hail Mary sequel “I want it to be good.” And herein lies the biggest issue with a follow-up. There isn’t really a story there. By the end of Project Hail Mary, Grace and Rocky have accomplished their mission, saving both Earth and Erid from the Astrophage threat, ensuring future generations will be able to live on the planets. There aren’t any lingering plot threads that demand to be resolved. The film works perfectly as a self-contained narrative that builds up to its heartfelt and satisfying conclusion. Manufacturing additional drama to make Grace’s return trip to Earth more exciting would come across as forced and unnecessary.

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It also arguably doesn’t make much sense for Grace to even want to go back to Earth. Project Hail Mary makes a point to mention he doesn’t have any immediate family (not even a dog), which is why he’s an ideal candidate to be the mission’s replacement scientist. Grace also tells Rocky he doesn’t have a mate, so there’s no romantic partner waiting for him to return. The film barely reveals anything else about Grace’s personal life, meaning it’s reasonable for the viewer to assume he didn’t really have much going on outside of his work. And while it seemed like Grace had a nice rapport with his students, teaching science to middle school kids is hardly a compelling reason to leave Rocky and make the long trip to Earth. Grace and Rocky formed a true bond during their time together, and it would be very difficult for them to say goodbye after all they’ve been through.

It’s telling that Grace doesn’t seem all that enthused about the prospect of returning to Earth. After Rocky tells him about the Hail Mary, his response is “Can I think about it?” echoing what he said to Stratt when she asked him to go to space. Rocky tells Grace to take all the time he needs to think, implying the Eridians are in no rush to get rid of their human friend — and it’s easy to see why. Grace said his place was always in the classroom, and he’s settled into his new role teaching science to Eridian children. He had to travel light years away from Earth, but Grace found a home and his people. There’s no reason for him to go back.

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