Project Hail Mary Trailer Drops
The trailer for Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" film adaptation just dropped — but it reveals the book's major sci-fi twist. Critics say it maintains Weir's "The Martian" DNA but adds a comedic buddy-movie dynamic set in space. If you want to avoid spoilers, skip the trailer until after reading or watching.
The film adaptation of "Project Hail Mary" is set for a theatrical release on March 20, 2026, in the United States and March 26, 2026, in India. The project is helmed by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, known for their work on "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "The Lego Movie". The screenplay was penned by Drew Goddard, who also adapted Andy Weir's previous novel, "The Martian," for the screen. Ryan Gosling stars as the protagonist, Ryland Grace, a former school teacher who awakens on a deep space mission with amnesia. Gosling is also a producer on the film. The cast includes Sandra Hüller, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub. The rights for the film were acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (now Amazon MGM Studios) in March 2020 for a reported $3 million, based on the then-unpublished manuscript of the novel. The movie boasts a significant budget, with reports citing a gross of $248 million. The major spoiler reportedly revealed in the trailer is the introduction of a friendly alien character, named Rocky in the book. This sets up the "comedic buddy-movie dynamic" as Grace, a human, must learn to communicate and work with an entirely different species to save both of their worlds. Directors have noted that the creation of Rocky involved a blend of practical and visual effects, with a puppeteering team on set with Gosling for every scene.
