Project Hail Mary ending explained: what happens to Ryland Grace and Rocky, will there be a sequel, and more on Ryan Gosling's new sci-fi movie
Project Hail Mary has achieved lift-off in theaters worldwide — here's how the sci-fi epic ends
· TechRadarNews By Tom Power published 20 March 2026
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Project Hail Mary (PHM) is out now in theaters worldwide — and, whether you've watched Ryan Gosling's new sci-fi film yet or not, you might want to know how it ends. I don't know why you would if you haven't seen it, but, hey, I'm not your dad.
Anyway, I suspect you've got big questions about the ending of one of this year's most exciting new movies. Be advised, though: full spoilers immediately follow for PHM. If you don't want to know anything about its ending, bookmark this page for later, read my Project Hail Mary review, go and see it, and then return to this article.
Do Ryland Grace and/or Rocky die in Project Hail Mary?
No, PHM's beloved protagonists live to fight another day — but, hoo boy, do they cut it fine.
Article continues below
After an unspecified amount of time conducting research into the Astrophage — that's the electromagnetic radiation-feeding microorganism that's slowly killing all but one of the galaxy's stars — Grace and Rocky make a big breakthrough. They confirm that the only celestial body that's seemingly immune to the Astrophage — a star called Tau Ceti — definitely isn't affected by them.
The reason? A planet orbiting Tau Ceti, which the pair dub 'Adrian' in honor of Rocky's significant other (you know, because of Rocky and Adrian in the Rocky films? Never mind...), is home to another microscopic organism that feeds on Astrophage.
Even though Tau Ceti has a Petrova Line — that's the infrared line inhabited by the Astrophage that exists between a planet and its nearest star — the bacteria that exist on Adrian, which Grace names 'Taumoeba', feast on the Astrophage, which in turn stops them from feeding on Tau Ceti's radiation.
So, Grace and Rocky come up with a plan: descend into Adrian's atmosphere, secure a sample of Taumoeba, breed them in the lab on Grace's spaceship, and take the samples back to their respective solar systems to cure the stars.
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