Say what you will about Amazon/MGM, but one thing is undeniable: they don’t skimp on budgets. They have money to burn. Between the reported $200M price tag for “Masters of the Universe,” Michael B. Jordan’s $100M+ “Thomas Crown Affair,” spending $75M on a documentary (“Melania’”), Chad Stahelski’s upcoming “Highlander” at $180M, and “Crime 101” costing nearly $100M, they’ve made it clear they’re willing to open their wallets in a big way.
The latest (and perhaps most eyebrow-raising) example is “Project Hail Mary,” which Variety had originally claimed cost $150M to produce, but turns out it was much more than that.
According to Puck, the Ryan Gosling–led sci-fi epic currently tracking to open at about $50M domestic, had a gross production budget that was $248M, but tax credits from the U.K. and elsewhere might bring it down to around the $200M mark. That figure doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. This is a heavily CGI-driven film, and those don’t come cheap in 2025 dollars. I’ll share my thoughts on this film when the review embargo breaks next week.
At that level, you’re looking at a break-even point around $500M worldwide. That’s a massive bet for Amazon MGM. However, it’s not an irrational one. There’s been a steady buzz building around “Project Hail Mary,” which is based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel and stars Gosling as a lone astronaut tasked with saving humanity. A recently released trailer only amplified word of mouth, with clear comparisons to “The Martian” — not just in premise, but in tone and overall feel.
Drew Goddard, who earned an Oscar nomination for adapting Weir’s “The Martian,” penned the screenplay here as well. And behind the camera, Phil Lord and Chris Miller bring a track record that speaks for itself, especially considering their success working with Sony on ambitious, crowd-pleasing projects.
The film has been in development since early 2020, when Weir sold the rights to MGM for a reported $3M — a deal that looks smarter by the year. Amazon MGM is now positioning “Project Hail Mary” as a major theatrical event, with a release date set for March 20, 2026.
It’s a huge swing, but if this lands the way Amazon/MGM is hoping — if it captures a similar cultural and box office footprint of “The Martian” — this could be one very expensive gamble that actually pays off. Stay tuned.
So there's a script. That's something. It looks as though “The Movie Critic” really is dead and buried, and that this is a brand-new project, and title, but the premise is unknown.