Project Hail Mary is finally getting ready for its debut on the big screen. Fans of the novel have been waiting for this one! With Ryan Gosling signed onto the project not only as a producer, but as the main star, us sci-fi fans are obsessing over every reveal that came out this past weekend at San Diego Comic Con.

Project Hail Mary is a science fiction novel written by Andy Weir, who also wrote the well-known novel, The Martian. The Martian was the first one of Weir’s books to be adapted into a movie. The film was released in 2015 and stars Matt Damon as botanist Mark Watney, with crew members Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Sebastian Stan, and Aksel Hennie. Directed by the renowned Ridley Scott, The Martian went on to win two Golden Globes and a People’s Choice Award. The film’s success went on to lead to another adaption by Andy Weird, this time, Project Hail Mary.

While the novel Project Hail Mary was released on May 4th, 2021, the film’s been in the works since 2020, with new information being released every year. Drew Goddard returned (after working on The Martian) to write the story into a screenplay, and Ryan Gosling set to play the main character. Now, we are closer than ever to seeing this story on the big screen! The presence of Project Hail Mary at SDCC has given audiences and fans new content to excite over.

TREADING NEW TERRAIN

Hall H, SDCC. The biggest room at the con, and Project Hail Mary sits at the top with 6,000 people waiting to hear from Ryan Gosling, Andy Weir, Drew Goddard, and co-directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord. The panel on July 26th opens by showing the audience an exclusive look at the first five minutes of the movie, and as the panel continues, incomplete scenes that amp up the energy in the room. Orchestrated by curator Josh Horowitz, this group provides the answers, heart, and soul the fans have been craving when it comes to more Project Hail Mary content.

In a short summary, Project Hail Mary is about friendship, space, and humanity. The plot follows science teacher Ryland Grace, who wakes up with no memory, in a spaceship far away from Earth, people, and society at large. As his memory comes back to him in pieces, Ryland must put the pieces together in solving the puzzle that could be the extinction of his home world. While on this journey, Ryland discovers that he might not be as alone as he thought he was.

This is a barebones explanation of all the wonderful, magical things that occur within Project Hail Mary, and if you’re looking for a little more context, the official trailer below gives a deeper look into Ryland Grace’s universe.

When asked about playing the character of Ryland Grace during the panel, Ryan Gosling said, “I knew it would be brilliant because it’s Andy [Weir], but nothing could have prepared me for what he came up with this time. It took me places I’d never been. It showed me things I’d never seen. It was as heartbreaking as it was funny.”

As a huge fan of the novel Project Hail Mary, I can tell from his words that he truly is a fan of the character, the plot, and of Weir himself. Why? Because as another huge fan, I think all of those things, too. Project Hail Mary is a story that takes leaps and bounds as it covers the ideas humanity faces when world annihilation is on the table. That in itself is an intense and strong conflict that needs substance to back it up. Weir provides that backup throughout the story—and Gosling understands that he needs to portray that exact desperation. It’s this that makes him the perfect person to play a character like Ryland Grace.

Continuing to speak on playing Grace, Gosling says, “I connect to his reluctance. Aside from having a doctorate in molecular biology, he’s quite the ordinary person in an extraordinary position. He reacts to things the way I might. Or you might. But he finds the courage to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.”

AN ALIEN SOUNDTRACK

SDCC 2025 gave us some very great reveals for what we can expect in the adaptation of Project Hail Mary. For one, Daniel Pemberton, composer of films Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Steve Jobs, and “Slow Horses”, will be composing Project Hail Mary! The award-winning composer will surely be providing an amazing soundtrack to follow the journey of Ryland Grace in space, and all of his companions (on Earth, and not).

SDCC also gave us fans a huge look into concept art of the film! Below you can see ideas from the movie that showcase Ryland in his spaceship and spacesuit, what the galaxy looks like in this world, and some of the different cosmos Ryland might be passing by.

We also now know that another huge character in Project Hail Mary will be acted through the use of puppetry. This is an old-fashioned way of portraying characters, especially in this modern day world, and this author is very excited at the concept. Just hearing that makes me believe that this character (who I am purposefully not mentioning as to avoid big spoilers for those not familiar with the story) will be just as lifelike, relatable, and real as it was in my head.

Speaking on this, Phil Lord says, “What’s so good about Ryan (Gosling) as a performer and creator is his ability to get the most of the people around him. So it was important to have something that felt real to respond to.”

All of the big reveals during the panel were updated by the Project Hail Mary official account on the social media platform, X. Here, we can find more quotes, concept art of the movie, and videos of the panel itself! Check out @projecthailmary on X for more on these updates and reveals.

IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING

Need more convincing to go see the film when it premiers? Author Andy Weir said at SDCC, “I don’t want to brag, but I’ve seen cuts of the film, and it’s really good! It’s really good—these guys, I mean, they are amazing directors. Everybody knows that, but I’m just going to restate it. I couldn’t be happier with how things turned out.” There’s no better endorsement than that from the original artist, and if Weir says the film is going to be good (which I can already tell it will be), then I’ll be front-row seated in that movie theatre with my popcorn in hand, on opening night.

As promotion for the movie continues into next year, I’m sure we’re going to see even more sneak peaks, teaser trailers, scenes for the movie, and overall, more reason to fall in love with the supernova that is Project Hail Mary. This author is ready for the movie to be out now, but like the rest of you, I’ll just have to wait in anticipation to formally meet Ryland Grace on the screen.

Project Hail Mary releases in theatres on March 20th, 2026