‘Project Hail Mary’ Trailer: Ryan Gosling Is Humanity’s Reluctant Hero

Ryan Gosling isn’t thrilled to be Earth’s last hope, at least not at first. In the debut trailer for Project Hail Mary, the actor opens his eyes alone on a spaceship, unsure of where he is, or even who he is. But the stakes quickly become clear: if he fails, the planet dies.

The film is based on the 2021 novel by The Martian author Andy Weir, as Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a former middle school teacher with a doctorate in molecular biology who’s somehow ended up on an interstellar mission with no memory of volunteering. The trailer reveals that his ship is nearly 12 light years from Earth. And Earth is running out of time.

Sandra Hüller, seen in flashback scenes on Earth, sets the tone with a grim declaration: “The sun is not the only star dying,” she warns. “If we do nothing, everything on this planet will go extinct.” The quote comes from the trailer, which first screened at CinemaCon in April.

Initially, Grace has no desire to participate in what sounds like a one-way ticket to oblivion. “I understand the stakes — I do,” Gosling’s character says. “But my place is in the classroom.” The reluctant hero trope gets a fresh spin here, as the character slowly uncovers why he was chosen and just how high the cosmic stakes really are.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, are directing. This marks their return to the director’s chair for a live-action feature after 22 Jump Street in 2014. Drew Goddard, who adapted The Martian for Ridley Scott, wrote the screenplay.

Project Hail Mary also stars Milana Vayntrub, Ken Leung, and Lionel Boyce. The film is set for theatrical release on March 20, 2026, through Amazon MGM Studios. And yes…there’s an alien. We only get glimpses in the trailer, but it’s clear Gosling won’t be facing this galactic crisis alone.

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