At some point in the not-so-distant future, Project Hail Mary will turn one of the most popular sci-fi novels of the past decade into potentially one of the best sci-fi films. Based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name, this star-studded (on both sides of the camera) adventure is on the way, and there’s reason to be excited.
If this is the first you’re hearing about the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation, don’t worry, because we’re about to break down everything we know about the long-in-the-works project about a lone astronaut played by Ryan Gosling who is tasked with saving humanity from extinction. Let’s learn more about Project Hail Mary…
What Is The Project Hail Mary Release Date
Though we'll have to wait a bit, there is good news about the upcoming Ryan Gosling movie, as Project Hail Mary has a release date of March 20, 2026, per Deadline. The movie will have some competition that weekend, as Street Fighter, one of the bigger upcoming video game adaptations shares a date with the upcoming sci-fi film.
The Project Hail Mary Cast
When Project Hail Mary 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 firest space adventure, as he previously played Neil Armstrong in 2018’s First Man.
Sandra Huller
Academy Award nominee Sandra Huller joined the Project Hail Mary cast in May 2024, according to Deadline. However, the exact role the Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest actress will be playing has not yet been officially announced.
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.
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, per The Hollywood Reporter.
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. According to Penguin Random House, 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 figure out how to save the day.
When Can We Expect The Project Hail Mary Trailer?
Considering Project Hail Mary doesn’t come out until March 2026, 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 summer blockbuster season or next fall.
Project Hail Mary Is Being Filmed For IMAX
We're seeing more and more movies shot for IMAX these days, and Project Hail Mary will continue that trend. When announcing the film's release date in April 2024, Deadline also reported that Phil Lord and Chris Miller's space adventure will be filmed for IMAX, which has us even more excited for what's to come.
With Andy Weir's novel featuring exciting scenes on both Earth and in space, it makes perfect sense for the big-screen adaptation to take advantage of the epic scope and scale of IMAX. Now we just have to wait to catch our first glimpse of what will surely be awesome and mesmerizing footage.
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 not even 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.
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 appears in the upcoming movie, 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.
The Martian Scribe Drew Goddard Wrote The Project Hail Mary Script
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. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Goddard, who received an Oscar nomination the last time he adapted one of Andy Weir’s novels, signed onto the project in June 2020, just a couple of months after MGM first purchased the rights to it.
Throughout his career, Goddard has written some of the best horror movies of the 21st century like Cloverfield and The Cabin in the Woods, the latter of which was his directorial debut. He’s also worked on several great TV shows, as well, including Lost, Daredevil, and The Good Place, to name a few.
The Project Hail Mary Adaptation Has Been In The Works Since Before The Book Was Published
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.
Production On Project Hail Mary Kicked Off In June 2024
Project Hail Mary hits the big screen in March 2026, and the project is up and running, as production kicked off in June 2024. In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, director Chris Miller shared an image of the clapper from the first day of shooting along with a caption reading: “LET’S GOOOOOOOO” expressing his excitement.
In addition to announcing that the upcoming sci-fi movie finally entered production, the behind-the-scenes photo also revealed that Greig Fraser, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer behind the Dune movies, The Creator, and The Batman is the film’s director of photography.
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.
It might be some time before we get to see a trailer or additional information about Project Hail Mary, but there are plenty of 2024 new movies and exciting 2025 theatrical releases to hold us over in the meantime.
