- calendar_today August 26, 2025
Project Hail Mary Trailer Promises a Thrilling Space Adventure
In 2015, audiences were introduced to The Martian, the tense, humorous, and at times moving film adaptation of Andy Weir’s best-selling science fiction debut novel of the same name. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, the film was met with both critical acclaim and a successful box office run, earning several award nominations in the process. Fans of hard science fiction and movies that lean more on character than action were excited, and then, five years later, were more than ready to accept The Martian as a surprise sleeper hit for the summer. Then, in 2021, Weir released Project Hail Mary, his second novel and an even bigger success than his debut, and news came that he was also being adapted as a film.
Amazon MGM Studios has finally released the first trailer for Project Hail Mary, and while it’s still too early to make grand predictions, it does indicate what fans can expect. The teaser, which runs just over two minutes, does a good job of summing up Weir’s novel, from the first word to the final revelation. Everything about this film, from the trailer itself to the fact that it’s an Amazon MGM Studios production, signals big budget and big ideas when it comes to the science and the future. The cast and crew listed so far give it that promise as well, with Ryan Gosling in the lead role, a screenplay by Drew Goddard, and direction by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
Amazon MGM Studios snapped up the rights to the film early on, before Weir’s book even hit shelves. Goddard was attached to the project well before the novel’s publication to adapt the screenplay. Goddard also worked on the script for The Martian, a smart and faithful adaptation for which he received an Oscar nomination, so having him back for the sequel of sorts was a given. The same can’t be said for the director’s chair, at least for fans of Weir’s work. Hard science fiction may not seem like Lord and Miller’s specialty, but with both Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The LEGO Movie under their belts, it’s not hard to imagine the pair of directors providing the story with a needed injection of levity.
Gosling stars in the film as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who wakes up in a spaceship, not knowing how he got there or what mission he’s on. In the trailer, there’s very little set-up before the film gets to the thrust of the story (pun intended). Grace has no idea where he is or how he got there until he opens the door of the spaceship, and the title is plastered across his control panel. After several grunts and heavy breathing, he quickly calculates that he is, in fact, a long way from home, specifically, thousands of light years. Grace is then introduced to a younger, clean-shaven version of himself as the screen cuts to the past and begins to reveal the mysterious nature of his journey.
The former Earthling was in school teaching his class when he was approached to take part in an extraordinary mission. The problem? The sun is going out. Not just Earth, either—multiple stars nearby have been growing dim, except for one. Scientists have no idea why, but they have a sneaking suspicion that some mysterious cosmic agent is to blame. As luck would have it, they also believe a certain molecular biologist may be able to figure out the solution.
Grace isn’t buying it. When he’s first approached about the mission, he’s not keen on the idea. He does, however, have a bit of a point. “I put the ‘not’ in astronaut,” he points out in one scene. He’s then asked if he can, at least, moonwalk, and his answer is an unequivocal no. Grace is pushed by Sandra Hüller, who in her role as Eva Stratt, stresses how much is at stake. “If you don’t go, you die with the rest of us,” she states flatly. “If we do nothing, everything on this planet will go extinct.” It’s enough for Grace to sign on the dotted line, especially when his recruiter points out that failure to do so will result in him losing his entire student roster.
The speed of the space training is both impressive and effective in the short time Grace has before his journey begins. That journey has, at least at the point of his “awakening” at the start of the film, a long way to travel. When Grace opens the door and looks around, it’s apparent he’s not just away from home, but his crew has also all been lost along the way, a fact made apparent by casting news that shows Milana Vayntrub as a Russian co-pilot, Olesya Ilyukhina (who is confirmed to have died early in the story).
It doesn’t take long, however, for Grace to realize he’s not alone in the universe. After several hard-won maneuvers to align the ship and set it on course, Grace stumbles upon another spacecraft. And on the other side, as it turns out, is another, entirely new form of life. The alien, whom Grace dubs Rocky, is the furthest thing from the invasive interstellar monster the film’s trailer (or viewers might) expect. “He’s kinda growing on me,” Grace reports in a video message to his handlers. “At least he’s not growing in me, you know?” The trailer’s most heartwarming moment is when Grace finally, patiently shows Rocky how to give a thumbs-up.
