With the last few major films of 2025 set to open over the coming weeks, it’s already time to start looking ahead to the biggest releases of 2026. And they don’t get much bigger than “Project Hail Mary.”
The latest directorial effort from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who have found box office gold in both the animation and live-action spaces, stars Ryan Gosling as a scientist who forgets his own identity after being launched into space on a dangerous mission and has to figure out who he is in time to save humanity. The film is based on “The Martian” author Andy Weir’s bestselling 2021 novel of the same name, with “The Martian” screenwriter Drew Goddard once again adapting Weir’s work for the big screen. If you tried to engineer a blockbuster hit in a laboratory, you’d be hard-pressed to start with stronger components.
More from IndieWire
An official synopsis for the film 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.”
In addition to Gosling, the film stars Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, and James Ortiz.
2026 is shaping up to be a big year for sci-fi lovers, as “Project Hail Mary” will be joined by other tentpole releases including Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which will be the first theatrical “Star Wars” movie since 2019, and Steven Spielberg’s untitled UFO movie starring Josh O’Connor and Emily Blunt.
And if fans enjoy seeing Gosling in outer space, they won’t have to wait long for his next intergalactic adventure. Gosling also stars in Shawn Levy’s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is set to hit theaters in May 2027.
An Amazon MGM Studios release, “Project Hail Mary” opens in theaters on March 20, 2026. Watch the second trailer below.
Best of IndieWire
Sign up for Indiewire’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source ca.news.yahoo.com ’
