The Project Hail Mary Trailer Gives Away The Book's Big Sci-Fi Twist
by Jeremy Mathai · /FilmWhat if you took the "Science the s*** out of this" energy from "The Martian," added a dose of "Arrival," and swapped out the professionalism of Mark Watney for something closer to the buddy comedy hijinks of "Lethal Weapon" ... but in space? The results would be something close to the story of "Project Hail Mary," the latest adaptation of an Andy Weir novel. Starring Ryan Gosling as our newest astronaut completely in over his head, the story follows Ryland Grace as our main protagonist stranded in space with absolutely no memory of how that actually happened. The book remains one of my favorite reading experiences in recent memory, precisely because it plays out by throwing us into the deep end and slowly unspooling the circumstances surrounding these life-or-death stakes over the course of several chapters.
The movie, by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and written by Drew Goddard, takes a slightly different tact. Since it can't quite pull off the same trick for moviegoing audiences, the first official trailer instead has to walk the general public through the basic framework of the plot. Ryland is a dorky schoolteacher recruited to help solve the mystery behind why the sun — and all nearby stars, at that — suddenly appear to be dying. Though he'd be happy to simply offer his services as a consultant for the heroic astronauts tasked with undertaking this one-way mission, well, it appears he's the only human for the job. And that leads to the trailer giving away the book's first major twist. As it turns out, this ain't "The Martian" by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, when Ryland encounters an alien being he dubs as "Rocky," the plot takes a turn into truly surreal sci-fi territory.
Check the footage out above!
Project Hail Mary spoils the book's big alien twist ... but there's plenty more to the story
Sci-fi fans are going to be eating good, and "Project Hail Mary" is one of the reasons why. The acclaimed Andy Weir novel immediately felt like it was begging for a big screen adaptation as soon as it was published in 2021, and we're getting our wish with arguably the most capable creative team possible. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will be reuniting as directors for the first time since 2014's "22 Jump Street" (unbelievably enough) and will be joined by writer Drew Goddard ("Cloverfield," "The Martian," "Bad Times at the El Royale") to help bring Weir's unmistakable prose to life once again. Lord and Miller's directing careers were infamously sidetracked a bit by their brush with a galaxy far, far away, but they've both credited their misadventures with "Solo: A Star Wars Story" for getting them back on track with this.
Now, about that twist. Readers had no idea that any extraterrestrial life was involved with this story whatsoever. The marketing for the book was most definitely pitched as "The Martian 2.0" and most of us bought that hook, line, and sinker. Obviously, Amazon MGM Studios felt like it couldn't quite recapture that lightning in a bottle the second time around, and so the last bit of the trailer gives away the game and reveals that Ryan Gosling's Ryland Grace has a close encounter with the third kind. Nicknamed Rocky for his rough exterior, the alien seems to be friendly ... but the footage wisely steers clear of any other context. Readers know this sets up the framework for the zaniest of duos in all of recent science-fiction; luckily, however, there are plenty of other surprises lurking around the corner to keep moviegoers on their toes. And that's all we're going to say about that.
"Project Hail Mary" stars Gosling, "The Zone of Interest" and "Anatomy of a Fall" breakout Sandra Hüller, and Milana Vayntrub. It will blast off into theaters on March 20, 2026.