UPDATE: A poster has been released — below. Looks like they’re sticking with the March 2026 date, for now. I’ll circle back to this post when the trailer is released on Monday.
EARLIER: This is an interesting development. We’ll be getting our first look at Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s “Project Hail Mary” on Monday. More curiously, according to the ratings board, this is not a teaser, but rather a lengthy near 3-minute trailer.
While it’s not uncommon for studios to drop promotional material a year in advance, those early looks are typically shorter teasers running between one and two minutes. This, by contrast, is a full-length trailer. Of course, there is some precedent for lengthy trailers debuting well ahead of release, but it’s very rare.
“Project Hail Mary,” starring Ryan Gosling and based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, has been generating buzz, which further escalated after I posted a West Coast test screening reaction, one which mentioned that the film looked done, with polished VFX.
Reactions from the test screening were overwhelmingly positive, with comparisons being drawn to “Arrival” and “Gravity” — emotionally-driven, cerebral sci-fi with both mainstream and awards potential. Gosling’s performance was singled out as one of his most emotionally resonant in years, with praise for how the film balances spectacle with grounded, character-driven storytelling.
Also starring Sandra Hüller, the film reportedly runs close to three hours but already feels done and ready to go, and that’s despite its current March 2026 release date. The level of completion and positive audience response led to my speculating about a possible 2025 awards-season pivot.
The film, which wrapped shooting in October 2024, follows a science teacher (Gosling) sent on a one-man mission to save a dying Earth. Written by “The Martian” scribe Drew Goddard, it marks Lord and Miller’s return to feature directing for the first time since their departure from ‘Solo’ in 2017.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.