A film like Project Hail Mary (2026) almost needs no introduction. It’s an adaptation of Andy Weir’s 2021 best-selling novel of the same name, which has sold over two million copies, a return to live-action filmmaking by the creative duo behind the award-winning animated Spider-Verse franchise, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and a star vehicle specifically molded for Ryan Gosling. Following a quiet few months at the movies in the first quarter of 2026 (though not without its hidden gems, such as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Send Help), here comes Amazon MGM Studios with what seems to be the first massive (and risky) blockbuster of the year, with a whopping, estimated $248 million budget.
Project Hail Mary is also a huge passion project for Gosling, who first came across the novel’s manuscript before it was released and fell in love with the story so much that he helped assemble the talent, along with producer Amy Pascal. Amazon MGM acquired the film rights to the book in 2020, setting Gosling on a six-year journey to create an adaptation that preserved Andy Weir’s equally intellectually stimulating and emotionally moving voice. Now, it stands out as one of the most anticipated movies of the year, and, thankfully, it was a successful mission for Gosling and company. Project Hail Mary is a highly captivating, original space adventure that feels truly unique.
The Beauty Beyond Human Connection
Project Hail Mary centers on Ryland Grace (Gosling), a lonely 8th-grade science teacher/former biologist who wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. We eventually learn that Grace had been recruited by the European Space Agency’s leader, Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller), to investigate Tau Ceti, a star that has curiously shown immunity to an alien microorganism called an Astrophage. This microorganism, in particular, has been parasitically feeding on the Sun’s energy and slowly dimming it, dooming the Earth to a potential ice age. The trip to Tau Ceti is ultimately a suicide mission, as there is not enough fuel for a round-trip back to Earth.
Courtesy of Amazon MGM
As Grace regains his memories, he encounters an intelligent alien lifeform on his ill-fated quest, a crab-like geode creature that he nicknames Rocky (puppeted by James Ortiz). After programming an algorithm to communicate with Rocky, Grace learns that their goals align. Thus, the friendly pair joins forces to form a master plan to save their respective planets and races. This is a story that is as high-stakes as it gets, and yet Project Hail Mary is not quite the race-against-time space epic you might be expecting. Those components are certainly still important to the plot, but the pacing is patient, and the film’s tone is more intimate than what’s common for a sci-fi blockbuster.
Drew Goddard Crafts a Moving, Character-Focused Script
Screenwriter Drew Goddard’s character-focused approach is Project Hail Mary’s greatest asset, and the main element that distinguishes it from a long legacy of cinematic space epics. No surprise given Goddard previously adapted another Weir novel for the big screen: The Martian (2015). The book’s non-linear narrative is kept intact, so the film oscillates between exposition-heavy scenes on Earth leading up to the mission and the quiet isolation of Grace and Rocky in the vastness of space. These halves of the movie are beautifully balanced. One moment, Grace is drowning in the urgency of an impending apocalypse; the next, he’s engaging in profound philosophical discussions with Rocky. For such an expensive blockbuster, the handheld camerawork is impressively grounded.
That’s not to say Project Hail Mary is void of spectacle — it just saves those grand moments for when it counts. If you have the pleasure of viewing the film in IMAX, the space set pieces use the full 1.43:1 aspect ratio, while the flashbacks on Earth are presented in 2.39:1 widescreen. Contrast plays a large role in Greig Fraser’s cinematography, which makes sense given the story’s world-ending stakes and personal focus. Project Hail Mary is visually stunning, matching Fraser’s Oscar-winning work on the Dune franchise. Along with stellar production design and a perfect mixture of practical and digital elements, Fraser’s eye makes the smallest gestures between Rocky and Grace land with galactic weight.
Gorgeous Practical Effects and an Exceptional Performance from Ryan Gosling
There’s a tangibility to everything on screen in Project Hail Mary, and that’s especially true for Rocky. Designed in commission by the legendary Neal Scanlan, a former founding member of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Rocky is one of the most impressive practical film puppets in recent memory. This story heavily relies on both Gosling’s charm and the dynamism of the puppet’s performance. Despite lacking a proper face to express emotion, Rocky is brought to life so convincingly by Tony Award-winning puppeteer James Ortiz that he is certain to charm and win over audiences’ hearts everywhere. Admittedly, it would have been even more impactful if Rocky’s presence had been kept a secret, as it was in the source material.
Rocky is the film’s magic trick, but Ryan Gosling is the showman who convinces you it’s all real. Gosling’s status as one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men is undisputed. However, his performance in Project Hail Mary is so effortlessly great that it reminds you of just how much of a movie star he is. Project Hail Mary could be a technical masterpiece, but by the nature of the novel, it would fall apart in less committed hands. This is almost a Gosling one-man show, and at every step of the way, he has us hooked. He’s melancholic, joyful, hilarious (the iconic Gosling scream from The Nice Guys briefly returns), and makes it look all too easy.
Clear Filmic Inspirations Without Relying on Nostalgia
Oscar-nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) has a small role in Project Hail Mary, but despite her limited screen time, Eva Stratt stands out from the cast. More than anyone in her field, Stratt is the most devoted to saving the Earth. Sometimes this makes her methods seem cold or unconventional, though her ability to separate emotion and think rationally turns out to be a virtue. Still, Hüller gives the character empathy and warmth. In one of the film’s strongest scenes, Stratt sings Harry Styles’s “Sign of the Times,” which perfectly encapsulates Project Hail Mary’s tone — particularly the balance between the joy of connection and impending doom that reflects the book’s pandemic origins.
Courtesy of Amazon MGM
Project Hail Mary has been described as a mixture of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014) and Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and the comparisons are warranted. Andy Weir’s brainy, hard science is what drives the emotional center of the film, similar to what Nolan previously accomplished. Lord and Miller’s heart-on-sleeve sincerity is what sells Rocky and Grace’s friendship, recalling what makes Spielberg’s work so effective. Yet it’s impressive that even with all of its clear inspirations, Project Hail Mary manages to forge its own identity, taking what works. It isn’t relying on homage or nostalgia to craft its jaw-dropping images or its tender relationships. The result is a movie that feels wholly original, rather than referential.
A Feel-Good Space Movie for Bleak Times
There has been plenty of hype surrounding Project Hail Mary, some of it very hyperbolic. While I can’t speak to whether it will live up to those expectations, I will say Project Hail Mary is a stellar blockbuster and a feel-good antidote to cynical times. Lord and Miller have created their most impressive live-action effort to date, and this is by far Gosling’s best leading role since his last space movie, the criminally overlooked First Man (2018). It’s a pleasure to see Gosling find catharsis in the dark vast of space once again, and I hope this film’s potential success will dare Hollywood to take huge risks.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Project Hail Mary hits theaters on March 20!
Release Date: March 20, 2026.
Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller.
Screenplay by Drew Goddard.
Based on Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Produced by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Ryan Gosling, Andy Weir, Aditya Sood, Rachel O’Connor, & Amy Pascal.
Executive Producers: Drew Goddard, Nikki Baida, Sarah Esberg, Ken Kao, Lucy Kitada, & Patricia Whitcher.
Main Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Liz Kingsman, Orion Lee, Aaron Neil, James Ortiz, & Priya Kansara.
Cinematographer: Greig Fraser.
Composer: Daniel Pemberton.
Editor: Joel Negron.
Production Companies: Pascal Pictures, General Admission, & Lord Miller Productions.
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios (North America) & Sony Pictures Releasing International.
Runtime: 156 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
