1 Key ‘Project Hail Mary’ Detail Is Already Dividing Sci-Fi Fans

1 week ago 14

Published Jan 26, 2026, 3:47 PM EST

Adam Blevins began working in the entertainment industry in 2022 as a Staff Writer for Agents of Fandom, where he progressed to Senior Editor and interviewed talent from Marvel Studios, House of the Dragon, and Planet of the Apes. He joined Collider as a News Author in April 2024, was promoted to a Senior position in December 2024, and has written over 3,000 articles for the site, including exclusives relating to Avengers: Doomsday, The Penguin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more. He primarily writes about the latest box office numbers and the hottest movies and TV shows on streaming, while also covering superhero and sci-fi news. He has completed a set visit for The Chosen and even has several months of experience writing Gaming Features at ScreenRant. You can find him on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack.

One of the most anticipated sci-fi movies of the year just got hit with an exciting update. It was reported over the weekend that Project Hail Mary, the new space sci-fi epic starring Ryan Gosling, will have a runtime of around 2 hours and 46 minutes. Most fans of the Project Hail Mary book on which the film is based have been excited about this news, especially considering it’s a film that seemingly needs a long time to tell the complete story. Some fans have pushed back, though, saying this is too long to sit in a movie theater. However, the Project Hail Mary audiobook is over 16 hours, so a runtime of anything under 2.5 hours for the film would be incomplete, to say the least.

Project Hail Mary is based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed sci-fi author Andy Weir, who is also famous for writing The Martian. The Martian was turned into a massive sci-fi hit directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Matt Damon, and Project Hail Mary has all the potential to be the same level of hit if the story is handled carefully. In addition to Gosling, the film also stars Sandra Hüller, Ken Leung, and Liz Kingsman, and it’s currently scheduled for release on March 20.

Project Hail Mary tells the story of Ryland Grace, a former astronomer turned schoolteacher, who is recruited to help save the world from a dangerous algae that’s consuming all the sun's energy. The film unfolds over two timelines – one in which Grace wakes up in space and is actively trying to solve the mission while in another solar system, and another in which she’s on Earth working to solve the problem with other scientists and astronauts. Both timelines are vital to the story.

Who Wrote and Directed 'Project Hail Mary'?

Drew Goddard adapted the script for Project Hail Mary from Weir’s novel, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller stepping behind the camera to direct. Lord and Miller are famous for bringing both Spider-Verse movies to the big screen, and they even took a break from the web-slinging action to bring Project Hail Mary into the world. The duo is also working as producers on Spider-Noir, the upcoming live-action series starring Nicolas Cage as the titular character. They’ve even been involved in the making of Hugh Jackman’s next movie, The Sheep Detectives, which co-stars Bryan Cranston.