Alien Encounter Awaits in Project Hail Mary’s First Trailer

In 2015, The Martian gave moviegoers a visceral, funny, and surprisingly emotional version of Andy Weir’s bestselling debut novel of the same name. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, the film received strong reviews and excellent box office returns, even winning a couple of awards. So when news of another Weir adaptation was released, this time of his 2021 bestseller Project Hail Mary, science fiction fans had every reason to get excited.

After teasing an April 2023 release last year, Amazon MGM Studios has finally released the first official trailer for the big-screen adaptation of the sci-fi novel. A lot like The Martian, Project Hail Mary will balance the extremity of science and survival with a lot of humor. The trailer hints at that, too. From beginning to end, it’s evident that the film will be a Hollywood-style, high-budget space adventure with high stakes and big ideas. Along with the charismatic Ryan Gosling at the forefront, there’s also Drew Goddard for the screenplay and the directing duo of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

All in all, everything about this adaptation points to a major science fiction event for genre fans. Amazon MGM had acquired the film rights well in advance of Weir’s book even hitting the shelves. Goddard signed on to write the screenplay even before the novel’s release. The Martian fans will remember Goddard’s intelligent and largely faithful adaptation of Weir’s first novel. His efforts on that project earned him an Oscar nomination. So it was only natural to bring Goddard back to work on Project Hail Mary.

Lord and Miller are a new name for a Weir adaptation, but they’ve got the necessary credentials. The duo directed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The LEGO Movie, both of which managed to mix laughs with a decent dose of pathos. It may be an unexpected move to pair a hard science fiction premise with the directing skills of the Lord and Miller team, but all it takes is one look at the trailer to see they’re up to the task.

Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher, when he suddenly awakens aboard a spaceship with no idea where he is or how he got there. The trailer wastes no time, sending the viewer into Grace’s panic as he realizes he’s light-years away from home, far from his apartment. The further Grace tries to piece together his memory, the clearer the scene becomes. We see a different Grace at home, teaching his students before being approached by someone who needs him for a one-of-a-kind mission. It’s a mission that’ll either save the planet or doom it to certain extinction.

The Problem? The Sun Is Fading

The issue at hand isn’t Earth alone but several other proximal stars that are inexplicably growing dimmer. All of the Sun’s nearby neighboring stars are following suit, with only one lone star bucking the trend. Scientists are baffled, but the reason for their shift is a big, cosmic one: a novel organism whose workings have yet to be determined.

A former molecular biologist, Grace is the one man who might be able to figure it out. And figure it out he must, because his employers are running out of time. Grace, though, is no eager applicant. “I put the ‘not’ in astronaut,” he says at one point, lamenting his body’s inability to spacewalk. “I can’t even moonwalk!” But for Eva Stratt, a high-ranking government official played by Sandra Hüller, his reluctance is a moot point. “If you don’t go, you die with the rest of us,” she bluntly tells Grace. “If we do nothing, everything on this planet will go extinct. It’s as simple as that.” It’s a threat he can’t very well ignore, not when the safety of his students is at stake.

In what is only a few days of intense training, Grace is ready for takeoff and sent on his way. But by the time Grace wakes up aboard the spaceship, he has temporary amnesia and is alone. Grace’s coworkers on the mission are all dead, a fact made official when it was announced that Milana Vayntrub will be playing the role of Olesya Ilyukhina, a Russian crewmate who, like the rest of Grace’s original team, has also died.

Sci-Fi For Fans Of Gravity Arrives On March 20, 2026

If there’s anything that The Martian taught moviegoers, it’s that science fiction, when balanced correctly with emotion and a sense of humor, can be a true wild ride. It seems, from the trailer for Project Hail Mary at least, that the space epic will follow in the same footsteps. With a great cast, Weir’s gift for making complex science palatable and likeable, and Lord and Miller’s successful foray into quirky children’s animation, fans have every reason to be excited.

The release date of March 20, 2026, hasn’t left you with enough time to spoil the film for yourself; there’s also the novel to get through. Project Hail Mary is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated films of the decade, at least for fans of science fiction. Only time will tell whether it lives up to Weir’s novel, but based on the first trailer, it’s one mission you won’t want to miss.