The first official poster has been released for Project Hail Mary, a major new science fiction film starring Ryan Gosling. The movie is a high-profile adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by Andy Weir, the acclaimed author of The Martian. The project is being guided by an impressive creative team, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller set to direct from a screenplay by Drew Goddard. Goddard’s previous work adapting Weir’s The Martian into an Oscar-nominated screenplay, combined with Lord and Miller’s track record for visually inventive and emotionally resonant storytelling, positions Project Hail Mary as one of the most anticipated cinematic events on the sci-fi horizon.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Project Hail Mary‘s gripping premise is laid out in the official synopsis, which describes a high-stakes mystery set in the depths of space. In the movie, Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a science teacher who “wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there.” As his memory gradually returns, he must piece together the details of his desperate mission to “solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out” and thereby save all of humanity from certain extinction. The plot also teases a crucial twist that will define his journey, hinting that due to an “unexpected friendship,” he may not have to face this impossible challenge entirely on his own.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are known for helming smart hits like The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, and for their work producing the acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse franchise. They are joined by a formidable production team that includes Amy Pascal, the former head of Sony Pictures and a key producer on the Spider-Verse films, alongside Aditya Sood, Rachel O’Connor, and Weir. Ryan Gosling also serves as a producer in addition to starring. The cast is rounded out by acclaimed actress Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), Lionel Boyce (The Bear), Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub.
Project Hail Mary Is Based on an Award-Winning Sci-Fi Classic
Weir’s 2021 Project Hail Mary novel was a massive critical and commercial success, rocketing onto The New York Times Best Seller list and earning public recommendations from prominent figures like Bill Gates and Barack Obama. The novel’s status was cemented with numerous awards and nominations, including winning the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Science Fiction and becoming a finalist for the prestigious 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
The “unexpected friendship” referenced in the film’s synopsis is a direct nod to the celebrated emotional core of the source material. The book’s central plot revolves around the first contact and subsequent collaboration between Ryland Grace and a lone alien survivor from another star system that is facing the same sun-dimming crisis. This alien, a brilliant engineer whom Grace affectionately names “Rocky,” becomes his partner in solving the cosmic puzzle. Their relationship, built on a foundation of shared scientific curiosity and a mutual will to survive, transcends the typical “first contact” trope, evolving into a genuinely moving story of interstellar camaraderie that forms the heart of the narrative.
The novel also features a rich cast of supporting characters in its flashback sequences, including the pragmatic and ruthless leader of the space program, Eva Stratt, who grounds the Earth-based stakes of the mission. The casting of Hüller is consistent with the physical description of this key character from the book, although her role remains unconfirmed. With a strong foundation in Weir’s acclaimed novel and the creative vision of its assembled team, Project Hail Mary is positioned to bring a compelling science fiction epic to the big screen.
Project Hail Mary is scheduled to be released in theaters on March 20, 2026.
Have you read Project Hail Mary, and are you excited to see it adapted for the big screen? Let us know in the comments.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Warner
