When Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary was first released, it happened about 170 pages into a 470-page novel. That’s when the author decided it was time to reveal what his story was really about. Oh, sure. It was about a man named Ryland Grace waking up in space with amnesia and slowly figuring out that the fate of the planet is in his hands. But, also, it’s about Ryland meeting an alien.
Well, as you probably know, that book is becoming a movie starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. And, after just teasing it in the first trailer, its latest trailer prominently features the alien who Ryland nicknames “Rocky.” According to Weir, who is also a producer on the film, there was discussion about holding back the reveal, but ultimately, the studio decided against it.
“It’s really more a marketing decision by Amazon MGM, but the idea was no one’s going to walk into that theater and not know about Rocky,” Weir told Polygon. “This is not a Darth Vader is Luke’s father kind of situation. This is a core, central element of the plot that everybody’s going to be talking about and that everybody who’s read the book already knows about.”
Lord and Miller, who are making their return to directing for the first time in over a decade, agree. “You can’t tell this story without introducing Rocky, because the heart of the story is the relationship between him and Grace,” Miller said in a Reddit AMA. “As fans of the book, you know Rocky is the second lead of this movie. And what’s shown in the trailer is just a glimpse of what’s to come. Rocky is such a beautiful and ‘amaze-‘ing character, and we were all very thoughtful about what to show and when. You all know how much more there is to this story and relationship than what is shown in the trailer, and we’re excited for everyone to see where it goes!”
Plus, as Weir said in his interview, “All trailers are designed to put butts in seats, and we want those butts in those seats. We want people to go, ‘Now I want to know what’s going on.’” And, by revealing that Gosling spends most of his screentime with an alien, you get a double dose of intrigue. Will this astronaut be able to save the world? And, also, how the heck is he going to interact with a rock alien?
The answers to those questions, however, are the real spoilers and are certainly going to be held for March, when Project Hail Mary comes to theaters. Or, you know, the book has been out for over four years, so you could always check that out, too. We’d recommend it.
Project Hail Mary opens March 20, 2026, and we cannot wait.
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