by Gill Pringle in LA
We’ve seen him embody Barbie’s Ken and sing and dance his way through La La Land while falling in love with him in The Notebook and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Conversely, he’s played unknowable characters in Drive and Blade Runner 2049 while taking on troubled men with Half Nelson and Blue Valentine.
So, why not save the universe for his next act?
Starring in epic sci-fi thriller, Project Hail Mary, Gosling plays an ordinary middle school science teacher, Ryland Grace, who is sent on an unlikely mission to save the world.
In space, he will make an unexpected ally from another world, Rocky, uniting on an extraordinary mission to save both their worlds.
For filmmaking duo Chris Lord and Phil Miller, the appeal of the film was both intellectual and emotional.
“We are living through a time where things can seem impossible, and this movie is about what is possible when people come together with imagination and goodwill,” says Lord.
If Project Hail Mary is one of those rare science-fiction projects that already has people excited long before it hits cinemas, then that’s partly because the story comes from Andy Weir, the author behind the hugely successful novel The Martian which, in turn, became the source of Ridley Scott’s hit movie starring Matt Damon.
What makes the story especially engaging is the way that it balances hard science with humour and emotion.
Like The Martian, the plot leans heavily into real scientific ideas – physics, biology, and engineering – but it presents them in a way that feels exciting rather than intimidating. “It’s a book and a movie about collaboration and cooperation and what’s possible if we work together,” says Miller.
“And it’s a very hopeful book, it’s a hopeful movie, and there’s this relationship at its core, and these are two beings who could not be more different, and when they come together, they’re able to accomplish amazing things.
“And that’s what drew us to the book in the first place, and drew us to the project. Hopefully people will leave the movie feeling a sense of optimism about what’s possible,” he adds.
Twelve light years from Earth, the unlikely bond becomes a source of hope, reminding us that in the darkest, most dangerous moments, we are not alone.
At its heart, Project Hail Mary is a classic “one man against impossible odds” story, but with a twist that makes it both thrilling and surprisingly funny.
As Ryland Grace, Gosling wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory of how he got there. Slowly, as his memory begins to return, he realises that the situation is far bigger – and more terrifying – than simply being lost in space.
Grace discovers that he has been sent on a desperate mission to save Earth. A mysterious cosmic phenomenon is draining energy from the sun, threatening to trigger a catastrophic ice age on our planet.
Humanity is running out of time, and Grace might be the only person who can stop it.
The mission, called “Hail Mary,” is essentially a last-ditch gamble by Earth’s scientists: sending someone far across space in hopes of finding a solution before everything freezes.
Ryland Grace isn’t a stereotypical action hero; a teacher, a bit overwhelmed by the responsibility on his shoulders, and often figuring things out as he goes along. That relatability is a big part of what makes the story work.
Not to mention the relationship between Gosling’s Grace and Rocky, an alien from another world who has, just like Grace, journeyed far from his home to solve a riddle of solar infestation plaguing countless stars in the galaxy.
On the page, Rocky’s entrance is a shock visually, from his gargantuan spaceship to his rock-like, spider-like appearance.
But, as he strikes up a partnership with Grace, their communication unfolds gradually through shared mathematics and sound. Beyond the mission at hand, much of the joy comes from the process of deciphering one another and the sheer magic of understanding.
It’s a unique friendship; one explicitly built on problem solving. Grace and Rocky don’t start with emotional vulnerability. They start with math.
“It becomes a story about how to communicate, how to have empathy and compassion for something that is nothing like you,” says Miller when we meet the filmmakers at a special preview in Los Angeles.
“What’s really interesting about this movie is that we don’t think of it as sci-fi. We think of it as a human story, a story about a relationship, about a friendship.”
Adds Lord: “It presents as a space adventure, a disaster movie, and then a third of the way through, it becomes an intimate character study between two individuals who have to learn how to communicate.”
In creating Rocky, the filmmakers relied heavily on Oscar-winning creature effects supervisor Neil Scanlan, who understood immediately that this was not a supporting creature build – it was half of a partnership. With that in mind, he approached Rocky’s design from a behavioural standpoint rather than an anatomical one.
“One of the great attractions of this film is that Rocky is the second player,” says Scanlan. “It’s a buddy movie, so the idea of building and bringing to screen the second player in the movie was really exciting.”
“What’s so great about Rocky in the book is the way that he’s described as a character that looks like he’s made of rocks, has no face, has five leg-arms that he can use for various different purposes,” Miller says.
Rather than streamline those complications, the filmmakers embraced them. “A lot of people would change some of those things to make their lives easier, but not us,” quips Lord.
Gosling embraced Rocky’s arrival. “I was alone on camera for many months, so once we got to the Rocky portion, I was very relieved to have company. Like everything with this film, it mirrored the story.” says the popular actor.
As the narrative unfolds in a flashback structure that doubles as a slow dawning on Grace, with every new reveal he uncovers a little more about his mission and the events that led to his predicament – and that includes the woman who enlisted his efforts to begin with: the mysterious, and mysteriously powerful, Eva Stratt.
The filmmakers would land on Oscar-nominated actress Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest) for the role, a choice whole-heartedly supported by their leading man. “I couldn’t imagine anyone else other than Sandra,” says Gosling, 45, who first met Hüller on the awards circuit in 2023.
“I kept seeing her and thought it would be a dream to work with her. She had this warmth, even when playing the strong silent type,” says the Canadian former Disney child actor.
For Hüller’s part, she wanted to tackle the role of Stratt, who seemingly has limitless funds and immunity at her disposal, because she wasn’t familiar with playing people in power. “That was completely new for me, somebody who is doing her job very well, who has the respect of everybody and is leading the way in a lot of things, who has patience and courage and humour and heart,” says the German actress.
“I wanted to try to create this sort of energy. And, of course, I wanted to play with Ryan. That’s the greatest thing to do.”
Ultimately, the appeal of Project Hail Mary lies in its sense of wonder. It’s a story about survival, discovery, and the idea that ordinary people can rise to extraordinary challenges. There are big cosmic mysteries, clever scientific puzzles, and moments of humour that keep things from becoming too heavy.
If the film captures even half the charm and excitement of Andy Weir’s novel, it could easily become the next great crowd-pleasing space adventure – one that reminds audiences why stories about exploration and hope among the stars are so irresistible.
Project Hail Mary is in cinemas 19 March 2026
