Ryan Gosling Starring in Astronaut Movie ‘Project Hail Mary’

Phil Lord and Chris Miller are in the director’s chair for the new movie, which adapts a new space adventure from Andy Weir, writer of ‘The Martian’.

Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling arrives on the red carpet of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Preview:

Ryan Gosling will play an astronaut in ‘Project Hail Mary’.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are directing.
The movie will be on screens in 2026.

Given the success of 2015’s ‘The Martian’ –– which saw Matt Damon starring as an astronaut trapped on Mars, was directed by Ridley Scott, notched a big profit at the box office and was nominated for seven Oscars –– it’s almost surprising it has taken this long for another tome by Andy Weir, who wrote the source book, to properly launch its journey to theaters.

But then, the wheels of development grind slowly, and while at least one other book, ‘Artemis’, set on the moon, seems locked in limbo, another, ‘Project Hail Mary’, now has a star, directors and even a release date.

Project Hail Mary

Not Yet RatedMar 20th, 2026

Based on Andy Weir’s (The Martian) novel of the same name, Project Hail Mary is an exhilarating space adventure set in the near future. Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling),... Read the Plot

What’s the story of ‘Project Hail Mary’?

Ryan Gosling in 'First Man'. Photo: Universal Pictures.

‘Project Hail Mary’ is set in the near future. Our hero is Ryland Grace, a schoolteacher-turned-astronaut who wakes up from a coma, alone, on a space station with no memory of who he is or his mission.

His memory returns in bursts and he pieces together that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to reverse the impact of a space event that had already hurled our planet into the early stages of an Ice Age.

As details of the mission unravel, he must call on all of his scientific training and sheer ingenuity, but he might not have to do it alone…

So… ‘The Martian’ meets ‘The Hangover’? Would watch. Will watch.

Who is making ‘Project Hail Mary’?

(L to R) Phil Lord and Chris Miller on the set of '21 Jump Street.'

Weir’s book was published in 2021, and since then has been on a faster track to screens than ‘Artemis’.

Drew Goddard, who adapted ‘The Martian’ (and scored an Oscar nomination for his efforts), has once more written the script.

Instead of Scott returning to direct, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who are technically also still attached to ‘Artemis’, but have seen ‘Hail Mary’ move forward into prime position (let’s be honest: scheduling movies is like finding launch windows for Mars missions).

The pair will hopefully bring their instinct for balancing comedy and drama, and while their last crack at sci-fi didn’t quite work out (that would be their ill-fated stint on ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’, where they ended up creatively clashing with Lucasfilm and were ultimately replaced by Ron Howard), you’ve got to have faith in the duo who have made winners such as ‘The Lego Movie’ and are key players on the ‘Spider-Verse’ franchise.

Finally, Ryan Gosling is in place to be the central astronaut with memory issues. He’s been on a role of late, so we’re hoping for something that brings dry, smart humor to go with the space drama, as seen in ‘The Martian’.

When will ‘Project Hail Mary’ be in theaters?

That’s the final piece to fall into place… Amazon MGM Studios has planted a flag in a March 20th, 2026, release date for the movie. Start your countdown clocks!