In the not-so-distant future, Project Hail Mary will join the ranks of other upcoming sci-fi movies when it brings one of the most decorated space novels of the past decade to the big screen. Starring Ryan Gosling as an astronaut sent to the far reaches of the galaxy on a desperate mission, the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation will see the director duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller take Andy Weir’s 2021 space to a whole new audience.
If this is the first you’re hearing about what has the potential to be one of all-time great sci-fi films by the time it’s all said and done, don’t worry, because we’re about to break down everything we know about the long-in-the-works project. Let’s learn more about Project Hail Mary…
What Is The Project Hail Mary Release Date
Though we'll have to wait about a year for the Project Hail Mary release, the upcoming Ryan Gosling movie will arrive on March 20, 2026, per Deadline.
The movie will have some competition that weekend, as Street Fighter, one of the bigger upcoming video game adaptations, is set to finally enter the box office fight on the first day of spring. Project Hail Mary also comes out a week after another promising sci-fi flick, David Robert Mitchell’s Flowervale Street.
What Is Project Mary About?
Similar to The Martian, which spent a great deal of its runtime showing Matt Damon’s Mark Watney spending time alone on Mars working on all types of experiments to stay alive long enough to be rescued, Project Hail Mary will see Ryan Gosling’s astronaut alone deep in outer space after being sent on a mission to another star in hopes of saving Earth.
In the book on which the movie is based, that astronaut, Ryland Grace, is the sole survivor of a last-ditch effort to save humanity and every other living creature on Earth. Andy Weir’s novel follows the astronaut as he wakes up alone and confused on a ship hurtling through space millions of miles from home as he tries to remember how he got there and eventually how to save the day.
The Project Hail Mary Cast
When the movie hits the big screen, it will feature a cast led by Ryan Gosling, who has been attached to star in the film as an actor as well as one of its producers since March 2020, according to Variety. But the Barbie and The Fall Guy star won’t be alone in this space adventure. Let’s meet the rest of the Project Hail Mary cast.
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace
Ryan Gosling will be taking on the role of Ryland Grace, the sole survivor of a mission to deep space with hopes of saving humanity. This won’t be Gosling’s first space adventure, as he previously played Neil Armstrong in 2018’s First Man. However, it will be Gosling’s first movie in two years by the time it’s released.
Sandra Huller
Sandra Huller, who received a lot of praise (and an Oscar nomination) for her performance in Anatomy of a Fall, joined the Project Hail Mary cast in May 2024, according to Deadline. While there have been some rumors about her role, nothing has been made official about the specifics at this point.
Milana Vayntrub
Milana Vayntrub, who some may recognize for her role of Lily in various AT&T ad campaigns the past decade, joined the cast in June 2024, according to Deadline. Like Huller, Vayntrub’s exact role has not yet been disclosed.
When Can We Expect The Project Hail Mary Trailer?
Considering Project Hail Mary doesn’t come out for another year, it will probably be some time before a trailer, or even a teaser, is released. However, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for a clip to pop up at some point during the 2025 movie schedule.
Production On Project Hail Mary Wrapped In October 2024
Project Hail Mary, which was shot using IMAX cameras, has wrapped production, at least when it comes to principal photography. In October 2024, Chris Miller shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the physical shoot of the film had concluded, just a few months after cameras first started rolling. With a movie a scope and scale of this magnitude, we can expect the post-production work to continue for many weeks, or months, to come
Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary Was Published In May 2021 And Later Became A New York Times Best Seller
Some books exist for years or even several decades before they are adapted for the screen, but that isn’t the case with Project Hail Mary, as Andy Weir’s fourth novel was released less than five years ago. The sci-fi novel about an astronaut hurtling through space with the weight of humanity on his shoulders and a difficult task ahead of him was first published back in May 2021 and became a massive hit shortly thereafter.
Project Hail Mary spent a total of nine weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list, eventually coming off that August. It would later be named GoodReads Best Science Fiction novel of 2021, and also received several other accolades.
And much like the film rights for Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, which Universal Studios acquired before the book was even published, Project Hail Mary’s rights were purchased by MGM a little more than a year before the sci-fi novel hit bookshelves. In March 2020, Deadline reported that the studio, which was acquired by Amazon one year later, paid a seven-figure amount to turn the then-unpublished novel into a movie, which really shows how excited they were to make this thing a reality.
Phil Lord And Chris Miller Are Co-Directing
Project Hail Mary won’t just have big talent in front of the camera when Ryan Gosling leads the cast, as one of the most successful filmmaking duos of the 21st century will be sitting behind the camera for this one. In May 2020, Variety revealed that Phil Lord and Chris Miller would be directing the adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel, which will be the duo’s first time helming a live-action movie since being fired from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Over the years, Lord and Miller have directed movies ranging from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (another book adaptation) to 21 Jump Street (and its sequel, 22 Jump Street) to The Lego Movie. They’ve also had a hand in crafting some of the best Spider-Man movies, including 2023’s Across the Spider-Verse.
Drew Goddard Has Said Fans Of The Martian Will Like What He And Lord & Miller Are ‘Cooking Up’
Just like The Martian, which was adapted to the screen by Drew Goddard, the Project Hail Mary screenplay was penned by the prolific screenwriter and filmmaker. When speaking with Variety in early 2025, Goddard revealed that fans of the 2015 Ridley Scott “comedy,” will like what’s to come, saying:
If you like ‘The Martian,’ I suspect you’re really going to like what we’re cooking up with ‘Hail Mary.’ Chris and Phil and I have known each other for decades now, and I love their work. And then obviously, Ryan Gosling is one of the staggering talents of our time.
Though he didn’t share any details about what the creative team has in store, the tease that The Martian fans should be excited for Project Hail Mary is some very good news.
The Academy Award Winning Cinematographer From Dune Is The Director Of Photography
Adding to the talent working behind the scenes of Project Hail Mary is Greg Fraser, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer from Dune, who serves as the director of photography, according to The Wrap. On top of working with Denis Villeneuve on his acclaimed epic, and its 2024 sequel, Fraser’s credits include movies like The Creator, The Batman, Rogue One, Zero Dark Thirty, Foxcatcher, and Lion.
What Will Project Hail Mary Be Rated?
Amazon Studios hasn’t said anything about the Project Hail Mary rating at this time, but it’ll more likely than not carry a PG-13 rating. The 2015 adaptation of Andy Weir’s The Martian was rated PG-13 upon its release, and there’s reason to believe it will be a similar story here.
Expect to hear many more updates about Project Hail Mary in the weeks and months to come.
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