You gotta hand it to Andy Weir — he knew how to mount a comeback from the sophomore slump. After self-publishing The Martian, getting a book deal, republishing The Martian with his new publisher, selling a billion books, and watching Sir Ridley Scott nearly win Best Picture for bringing it to the big screen, you’re gonna have a hard time following that sort of success, regardless if you’re throwing heat. But after Artemis came and went, he did the rare pivot-push in Project Hail Mary: a return to form (a stranded astronaut story) mixed with a larger threat (weird little things eating the sun) that eventually separates it from the Martian DNA by becoming a fascinating little two-hander. Honestly, it’s a really satisfying beach read. We’ve got our quibbles with Weir’s tone, but man, can he plot a novel.
So, it makes sense that it’d head to the big screen as a proper prestige blockbuster. Your lead? Ryan Gosling. Your directors? Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the maestros behind the Spider-Verse movies and directors of The LEGO Movie and 21 Jump Street. The budget? As you can see from this trailer that Amazon/MGM dropped earlier on Monday, it’s pretty fucking big. And you know what? We’re excited to check this one out next year, especially after reading the book.
Peep it:
Here’s a synopsis for Project Hail Mary:
“Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.“
Project Hail Mary blasts into a theater near you on March 20.