Ryan Gosling’s 'Project Hail Mary' Is Racing Toward Release — With a Plot Full of Surprises
Next March, as the blockbuster movie season starts to ramp up, Ryan Gosling will go into space. Alone. In Project Hail Mary, Gosling will play Ryland Grace, a former teacher with memory problems who is the only hope for humanity. The movie is directed by the beloved duo behind The Lego Movie, Chris Miller and Phil Lord, and comes from the novel of the same name by celebrated sci-fi iconoclast Andy Weir, author of The Martian.
Here's everything we've got on this epic, including all the trailers, the cast, the release date and the incredible plot. No major spoilers ahead.
Project Hail Mary Trailers
So far, there are two trailers for Project Hail Mary. The first trailer dropped in June 2025 and teased uplifting, basic backstory of the movie, that Grace (Gosling) is a teacher sent to space.
But the second, longer trailer,r eleased on November 18, 2025 l dropped something of a spoiler. Turns out Ryland isn't alone in his space mission, and instend, encounters...well...an alien intelligence.
Project Hail Mary Cast
Here's who is playing who in Project Hail Mary.
- Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, the last human survivor on spaceship, during "hail mary" trip to save all of humanity.
- Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt, Ryland's boss at the Hail Mary project
- Ken Leung as Yáo Li-Jie, an astronaut
- Milana Vayntrub as Olesya Ilyukhina, an astronaut
- Liz Kingsman as Shapiro
- Lionel Boyce
- Orion Lee as Xi
- James Ortiz as Rocky, an alien
Project Hail Mary Plot
Like Weir's famous and broundbreaking book The Martian, Project Hail Mary is a voice-driven survival story in space. But, unlike The Martian, the entire plot isn't just about one man making it back to Earth allive. Instead, the survival story of Project Hail Mary quickly gives way to a more interesting idea: What if a very relatable, normal dude actually made first contact with aliens?
The novel is full of humor with Weir's signature mix of realism, and it looks like directors Miller and Lord are channeling much of that same energy. Whereas Ridley Scott took a more earnest tone in adapting The Martian for the screen, it seems Project Hail Mary will feel closer to the chatty tone that Weir does so well on the page.
Project Hail Mary Release Date
This movie is coming sooner than you think: Well before the big summer movie season kicks off. Project Hail Mary hits theaters on March 20, 2025.