Ryan Gosling has already played a teacher (“Half Nelson”) and an astronaut (“First Man”), but with “Project Hail Mary,” he’s both. That’s right: Gosling is leading the feature as a middle school biology teacher who travels to space to save the universe.
The film, which is based on the bestselling book by “The Martian” author Andy Weir, centers on Ryland Grace (Gosling) who wakes up from a coma with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 lightyears from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity. Ryland has to travel through space to keep the Sun and every other star in the galaxy from dying.
The official synopsis reads: “Science teacher Ryland Grace (Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.”
“Project Hail Mary” debuted a first look earlier this year. The feature is directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller and written by Drew Goddard. Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, and James Ortiz co-star.
“Project Hail Mary” is produced by Gosling, Lord, Miller, Weir, Amy Pascal, Aditya Sood, and Rachel O’Connor. The executive producers are Patricia Whitcher, Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg, Lucy Kitada, Nikki Baida, and Ken Kao.
In addition to “Project Hail Mary,” Gosling will also star in “Star Wars: Starfighter.” The standalone franchise film will take place five years after the events of 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker.” Shawn Levy is directing with Jonathan Tropper writing the script. Levy and Tropper previously worked together on “This Is Where I Leave You” and “The Adam Project.”
Amazon MGM Studios will release “Project Hail Mary” in theaters March 20, 2026. Check out the film’s first trailer below.