The universe is vast, cold, and often portrayed as a place of solitary survival. But in the upcoming cinematic event Project Hail Mary, the void of space becomes the backdrop for one of the most heartwarming and crucial partnerships in sci-fi history. Based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, this film isn’t just about survival; it’s a vibrant, emotional testament to what we can achieve when we stop looking at our differences and start looking at our shared goals.
The Visionaries Behind the Mission
Directed by the powerhouse duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), the film marks their triumphant return to the director’s chair. Joining them is Ryan Gosling, who stars as Ryland Grace. Lord and Miller found Gosling to be a boundless creative partner, noting his ability to bring a “dynamic range” to a character who is often alone on screen.
To work with that guy, he’s so boundlessly creative,” Phil Lord shared. “He does something different on every take. He’s really funny, he’s really sweet, and he can be really brave.”
To ensure the mission felt grounded, the production collaborated extensively with NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Their influence ensured the science wasn’t just a backdrop, but a living part of the ship.
From Page to Screen: Narrating the Science
One of the biggest challenges in adapting Weir’s novel was maintaining the first-person narration. In the book, we live inside Grace’s head. To translate this to film, the directors focused on making the “science-ing” visually engaging.
The whole book is in the first person, so you’re hearing his thought process,” Lord explained. “He would always narrate the science and what he was doing. So we had to find ways for the movie to describe cinematically the things that you were reading on the page… hopefully, it feels seamless.”
This realism extended to the ship itself. Unlike the “slick” sci-fi of the past, Lord and Miller wanted a tactile, “messy” environment. “We always say this movie is not a Mac, it’s a PC,” Lord quipped. “You could take it apart.”
A Cinematic Partnership: IMAX and the Super Bowl
The buzz reached a fever pitch this week during the Super Bowl, where a brand-new commercial showcased the film’s massive scale. To capture this grandeur, the team used two different film stocks—one for the “compressed” memories of Earth and another for the “raw, gritty” reality of space.
For the ultimate experience, the film was specifically shot for IMAX. This partnership allows audiences to feel the intimacy of the characters against the epic scale of the Tau Ceti system.
Where and When to Watch
Project Hail Mary is more than a sci-fi drama; it’s a thrilling, comedic, and deeply emotional journey about exploration and the courage to reach out to the unknown.
- Release Date: March 20, 2026
- Where to Watch: Exclusively in theaters and IMAX.