There have been rumors about Andy Weir’s book adaptation of Project Hail Mary since early last year, and it’s finally coming to fruition! Project Hail Mary was published in 2021 and was on the bestsellers list that year. This novel has been very well received by all fans of Andy Weir’s writing and science fiction book lovers.
Naturally, this is why there was a lot of excitement in the air when it was announced that it would be adapted into a movie!
Now that the shooting of the movie is done and there is a release date set for March 2026, the movie is shaping up to be the next The Martian but with higher stakes and a surprising new twist: interstellar friendship.
The recent CinemaCon 2025 footage of the trailer is already sending waves through sci-fi movie and book lovers alike.
What Is Project Hail Mary About?
Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary wasn’t just a bestseller, it became almost an instant classic among sci-fi readers because of its mix of hard science, edge-of-your-seat suspense, humor, and surprising emotional depth.
Released in 2021, the novel follows Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there, at the start. He quickly realizes what his mission is and that he is the last hope for humanity…
But unlike The Martian, the story is not just another solo survival tale – it’s a cleverly layered narrative about resilience, unlike friendships, and what it means to collaborate across species.
Five years later, Project Hail Mary is finally headed to the big screen with Ryan Gosling in the lead role and a filmmaking team that’s giving fans serious hope that this adaptation will do justice to the source material.
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While many book adaptations stray away from the root of the story, early previews of the trailer suggest that Weir’s story will stay largely intact – including its central twist: the alien character named “Rocky”, who quickly became a fan-favorite in the novel for his charm and growing bond with Grace.
If you like ‘The Martian,’ I suspect you’re really going to like what we’re cooking up with ‘Hail Mary.’ – Drew Goddard in 2025 Variety interview
This adaptation has all the right ingredients: a character-driven narrative, hard science akin to The Martian, which a lot of people enjoyed, and an emotional payoff that lingers long after the final page. Additionally, Andy Weir is a writer for the book adaptation, meaning that he will have creative input into the movie, making sure that it does not stray too far away from the book. Having read the book, if the movie can bring all of those elements together, it will be the sci-fi movie event of 2026!
Gosling in Space (Again)
Ryan Gosling is no stranger to space – but this time, he is swapping the stoic silence type of character from First Man for something much more humorous, which really suits him better… As Ryland Grace, Gosling trades the clean-cut astronaut archetype for a disheveled science teacher wit ha shart wit and a planet to save.
Early footage shown at CinemaCon shows him bearded and floating through deep space, cracking his witty lines like:
So, I met an alien… and he’s growing on me. Not in me, which was a concern.
Gosling’s past performances perfectly balance heart and humor – much like the book’s version of Grace, which will be important in a character-led adaptation. Gosling is also producing the film, which means that he is invested in getting the character right. For fans of the novel, this is a reassuring sign: the emotional core of Project Hail Mary hinges on Grace’s reliability, humor, and a spark of vulnerability under the wit and sarcasm.
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletterFaithful to the Page? Early Footage Says Yes
For fans of the book, the biggest question has been: Will the movie stay true to the book? So far, the answer seems to be a yes.
The excluding CinemaCon 2025 trailer showcased scenes pulled directly from the book! The trailer is not available right now, but here is a description of a person who attended the reveal.
The tone feels spot-on. The dry humor, the scientific problem-solving, the inner monologue that is somewhere between panic and brilliance – it’s all there. A standout line from the preview, “I put the not in astronaut.” perfectly captures Grace’s self-deprecating charm, echoing the novel’s voice.
Drew Goddard and Andy Weir, who both wrote The Martian, are back as the dynamic duo writing for Project Hail Mary. All things considered, early signs suggest that this adaptation is not just using the book as a launchpad – it’s bringing it to life, maybe beat by beat.
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Who Is Playing Rocky In The Movie Project Hail Mary?
Some amazing fan art!
— Andy Weir (@andyweirauthor) May 7, 2024
Artist: Crystal Scott pic.twitter.com/GVXe0nRl5b
A lot of people are misquoting Andy Weird, who said that Rocky is going to be played by Emma Stone… He even said right under that April fools post that this was not true and that it was an April fools post.
So who will play Rocky in the movie Project Hail Mary? James Ortiz is credited to be playing Rocky in Project Hail Mary, or at least voicing him.
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Rocky does not have a gender, nor does he actually talk. In the book, Grace and Rocky learn to communicate via musical notes and tones.
We have not seen what Rocky looks like, as the studio is keeping how it looks under wraps. But the CinemaCon footage shows a strange alien spacecraft made of thin “wood-like” material and a moment where a two-fingered alien “hand” presses against a glass panel.
