The first trailer for Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s latest movie, Project Hail Mary, has just been released, giving viewers their first look at Ryan Gosling’s underdog protagonist as he goes on a mission to save the world. The trailer does a great job of setting up the emotional stakes for the upcoming film, which stars Gosling as high school teacher Ryland Grace, who embarks on a mission to space in an attempt to find a solution to a world-ending event on planet Earth. The trailer constantly flashes back and forth between Ryland preparing for the mission and him struggling to survive in space.
Project Hail Mary also features Sandra Hüller, Milana Vayntrub, Lionel Boyce, and Ken Leung in various supporting roles in the film, helping along with Ryland’s mission. The premise feels like it has the makings of a great feel-good underdog story, with Ryland constantly doubting himself throughout the trailer, proclaiming that he is a schoolteacher and not an astronaut. Gosling’s charm is palpable throughout the trailer, and the surprisingly somber tone in some moments makes Project Hail Mary feel like nothing that Lord and Miller have directed before.
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Interestingly, this is the first feature film that the duo has directed since 22 Jump Street, which was released in 2014, making it eleven years since their last directorial effort. Lord and Miller have most notably been responsible for executive producing the Spider-Verse animated entries, along with a handful of other projects, both animated and live-action, making this newest film feel like a refreshing change of pace for them.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Was Lord and Miller’s “Biggest Challenge” Yet
Project Hail Mary is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Andy Weir, who also wrote the book The Martian, which Ridley Scott adapted into a film in 2015 from a screenplay by Drew Goddard. The Martian shares many visual and thematic traits with this upcoming science fiction film, with both movies featuring a lone protagonist in space with the odds stacked against them. Project Hail Mary also had its screenplay written by Goddard, meaning we can more than likely expect another faithful adaptation that stays true to Weir’s original story.
Lord and Miller had previously presented this trailer to audiences at CinemaCon earlier this year, where they described the project as “the biggest challenge” they have ever taken on as directors. It makes sense, given that the tone and scale of the film are different from what Lord and Miller have directed in the past. Gosling also said at the time that they all “fell in love with the book” by Andy Weir, which helped drive them to create the best possible adaptation.
Overall, the first trailer’s good balance of drama, high stakes, effective comedic line delivery from Gosling, and some exciting sci-fi concepts at the end, helps make Project Hail Mary feel like one of the more exciting projects due in the Spring of 2026. Lord and Miller fans have been long overdue for another directorial outing from the two, and it will be exciting to see the talent work outside their comfort zone to deliver an ambitious, high-stakes sci-fi film that has the heart that so many of their past films do as well.
Source: YouTube, The Hollywood Reporter
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