Andy Weir’s sci-fi books are practically built to be turned into movies, especially in the hands of great writers and directors. That’s what happened with The Martian, which was a delightfully nerdy self-published novel that was transformed into a thrilling film adaptation — thanks to Drew Goddard’s script and Ridley Scott’s bold direction. And I have a feeling the same will be true for the latest Weir adaptation, Project Hail Mary, judging from the first trailer released today.
It’s got everything: Ryan Gosling being funny-yet-heroic, snappy dialog thanks to another Goddard script and directors Philip Lord and Chris Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street) out to prove their genius yet again with another seemingly impossible adaptation. What more could you ask for in a space epic?
On the surface, Project Hail Mary bares a resemblance to Danny Boyle’s under-loved Sunshine: Stars are dying, and humanity is scrambling for a way to save itself. But in this case, instead of a team of astronauts, Ryan Gosling’s school teacher Ryland Grace is our only savior. Bad news for us: he’s just getting up from years in a coma, and is also suffering from amnesia. The trailer makes it clear this will be an intergalactic adventure with plenty of surprises (and at least one plot element that wasn’t in The Martian).
