There’s been a steady buzz building around Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s “Project Hail Mary,” the upcoming sci-fi film from Amazon/MGM that stars Ryan Gosling and is based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel.
We aren’t even done with this current movie year, and Deadline’s Justin Kroll recently teased us about a potential major 2026 Oscar contender that was being internally screened around Hollywood. It was most likely this film.
A new trailer has been released for the film, and those comparisons to “The Martian” — the tone, the feel — are very much present. This could become a huge commercial success for Amazon/MGM.
Drew Goddard — who previously earned an Oscar nomination for adapting Weir’s “The Martian” — penned the script. The film has been in the works since early 2020, when Weir sold the rights to MGM for a reported $3M.
Back in June, I wrote “Early 3-Hour Cut of ‘Project Hail Mary’ Stuns” The film was drawing early comparisons to high-minded, emotionally resonant science fiction like “Arrival” and “Interstellar,” and the playful nature of “The Martian” — “the kind of sci-fi that plays just as well with awards voters as it does with general audiences.”
This marks Lord and Miller’s first time directing a feature since their infamous departure from “Solo: A Star Wars Story” back in 2017. Their last completed directorial effort remains “22 Jump Street” (2014), though they’ve remained busy on the producing and writing front with projects like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “The LEGO Movie 2.”
Greig Fraser, one of the best and most talented of his craft, is the cinematographer. His other DP credits include “The Batman,” “Dune,” “Foxcatcher,” “Killing Them Softly,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” and “Vice.” His most recent work was on Gareth Edwards’ 2023 sci-fi film “The Creator.”
Amazon/MGM is set to release “Project Hail Mary” on March 20, 2026.