Author Andy Weir is known for his scientific accuracy (The Martian, anyone?), so we know that any new project of his will be steeped in authenticity.  Add in the comedic direction of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and the acting talent of Ryan Gosling, well…. That’s exactly what we get with Project Hail Mary. They, together with screenwriter Drew Goddard, introduced the film, and importantly Gosling’s co-star “Rocky,” to an excited crowd this afternoon at Comic-Con International (SDCC 2025).

Project Hail Mary sees science teacher Ryland Grace (Gosling) wake up on a spaceship light-years from home, tasked with solving the riddle of a mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. “An unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.” Lord and Miller, together with Gosling, strive to ensure that despite the science fiction aspects of the film (spoiler alert: alien life), it remains the story of someone “terrified (appropriately) of the task at hand, who’s give the opportunity to believe in himself again.” From what we saw of Project Hail Mary at SDCC 2025, it seems they’ve achieved their desired goal.

Project Hail Mary: a scientifically emotional SDCC 2025 journey

Weir, also an executive producer on the film, talked about three aspects of intelligent life that serve as the foundation for the film: pack instinct, language, and empathy. Ryland Grace will have to find all three with “Rocky,” his alien counterpart, if his mission is to succeed…. But how does one express each of those elements when the Project Hail Mary actor opposite you is, well, a rock?

Project Hail Mary; SDC 2025
(L-R) Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Ryan Gosling, Andy Weir, and Drew Goddard discuss Project Hail Mary at SDCC 2025. (Image: JJ Goodman for That Hashtag Show, LLC)

For starters, it helps when that “actor” is practical. Neil Scanlon at Lucasfilm Creature Shop and his team bring the five-legged Rocky to life for the film in such a way that, in one sneak peak scene we saw, Rocky’s actions pulled an emotional “awe!” out of the thousands in the SDCC 2025 crowd.

At its core, Goddard tells us Project Hail Mary is a “deft blend of science and science fiction – it’s a movie about the power of science, teaching, and learning it speaks to who we are as a people and what we can be.”

The Amazon MGM Studios film hits theaters in March of 2026.