Ryan Gosling has been one of the most in-demand actors on the planet for the better part of the past two decades, and soon he’ll be humanity’s best chance at survival in Project Hail Mary, the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s popular novel. One of the most anticipated sci-fi movies in quite some time, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s space-age adventure has a spot relatively early on the 2026 movie schedule, and sounds like an epic journey, to say the least.
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 Project Hail Mary…
What Is The Project Hail Mary Release Date
As great as it would be to see the Project Hail Mary release date on the 2025 movie schedule, the truth is we have to wait a little while longer, as the upcoming Ryan Gosling film won’t open in theaters until March 20, 2026.
Though the sci-fi flick was supposed to have some competition with the upcoming video game adaptation of Street Fighter, that movie was taken off the schedule completely in March 2025, per Deadline. At the time of this writing, South Park co-creator Trey Parker’s untitled comedy is the only other movie sharing the weekend with Amazon MGM Studios’ big release.
What Is Project Mary About?
Similar to the adaptation of Andy Weir’s The Martian, which primarily focused on Matt Damon’s Mark Watney spending time alone on Mars working on all types of experiments to stay alive long enough to be rescued after being left for dead by his crew, Project Hail Mary will see Ryan Gosling’s character alone deep in outer space after being sent on a mission to another star in hopes of saving Earth.
The Project Hail Mary Trailer
While we still have months to wait for the Project Hail Mary movie to hit theaters, Amazon MGM Studios has given us a pretty substantial glimpse of what to expect from the movie with the trailer that released at the end of June. The preview doesn’t give away everything from the book, but in addition to showing Ryan Gosling’s reluctant, non-astronaut Ryland Grace as he embarks on a thrilling space mission, we also see him cross paths with another traveler out in space, whom he decides to call Rocky.
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 serving 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, a man tasked with traveling to deep space in 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 as Eva Stratt
Sandra Huller, who received a lot of praise (and an Oscar nomination) for her performance in Anatomy of a Fall, also plays a key role in Project Hail Mary. In the upcoming sci-fi flick, Huller plays the administrator who is in charge of the mission sending Ryland deep into space.
Milana Vayntrub
Milana Vayntrub, who some may recognize as Lily in various AT&T ad campaigns over the past decade, joined the cast in June 2024, according to Deadline. However, her exact role isn’t known at this time.
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 was later named GoodReads Best Science Fiction novel of 2021 in addition to numerous other accolades. If you watched the trailer and think the story looks good, there’s still plenty of time to read Andy Weir’s novel before the movie comes out.
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. Phil Lord and Chris Miller are the directors behind the adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel.
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 the Spider-Verse films.
Drew Goddard Has Said Fans Of The Martian Will Like What He And Lord & Miller Are ‘Cooking Up’
Just like the acclaimed space movie 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’s Golden Globe-winning sci-fi adventure film 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 MGM Studios hasn’t said anything about the Project Hail Mary rating at this time, so for now we can only speculate. At this point, a PG-13 rating seems like the best guess for the targeted rating. The 2015 adaptation of Andy Weir’s The Martian was rated PG-13 upon its release, and based on the tone and subject matter of the book, it seems just as likely that Project Hail Mary will aim for that as well.
How To Watch The Martian While You Wait For Project Hail Mary
With so much time between now and the Project Hail Mary release, now would be a perfect time to go back and revisit the last time one of Andy Weir’s novel adaptations dazzled audiences. At the time of this writing, you can check out The Martian (for the first time or on a revisit) with a Max subscription. But if you want to own the movie, either digitally or on physical media, you can pick up a copy over at Amazon, where you can also buy all of Weir’s various sci-fi novels.
Stream The Martian on Max.
Rent/Buy The Martian on Amazon.
Buy The Martian on 4K Blu-ray on Amazon.
It will only be a matter of time before we get to see Project Hail Mary on the big screen in March 2026. But that won’t be the only space adventure for Ryan Gosling in the near future, as he is set to lead Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, one of the most anticipated upcoming Star Wars movies currently in the works.
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