Project Hail Mary

[FlyingPenguin]

Okay, I am so stoked. This was one of my favorite novels.

God, please, don't let it suck.

BTW if you've never read the book, don't watch the trailer, it'll ruin the book and possibly the movie for you. I'm not sure why they did that.

[Executioner]

I was just going to post this, and I hope it does not suck. Not sure about the actors watching the trailer though.

[FlyingPenguin]

I worry about Ryan Gosling in the lead role, but then again when I first heard Matt Damon was going to be Mark Watney in the Martian, I thought that wouldn't work out either, and yet Damon absolutely knocked it out of the park.

[Executioner]

I wish it would have been directed by Christopher Nolan, the one that directed Interstellar.

[Executioner]

Project Hail Mary is scheduled to be released on March 20, 2026 in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios, and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film will also be released in IMAX.

[Losbot]

I absolutely LOVED the book. I have been impatiently waiting for this.

[Losbot]

I worry about Ryan Gosling in the lead role, but then again when I first heard Matt Damon was going to be Mark Watney in the Martian, I thought that wouldn't work out either, and yet Damon absolutely knocked it out of the park.

Agreed.

[Executioner]

Saw it today with my son. It was just okay. I still wish it would have been directed by Chris Nolan. I was not that impressed with Ryan Gosling that much. He was okay, but it looks like they removed a lot of the science behind the book. So in a nut shell, it was dumbed down.

[Losbot]

I've now seen the movie twice. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and I think that they did a good job, appealing to those of us who have read the book and those who have not. They added some stuff in for comedy and to keep the audience entertained but I didn't find it bad. They did get a lot of the story crammed into a 2h 30m movie. It's definitely worth watching on the big screen.
Ryan Gosling did a good job and I'm happy the movie was not full of CGI garbage. Rocky was a puppet they manually operated. Very impressive.

[Losbot]

Saw it today with my son. It was just okay. I still wish it would have been directed by Chris Nolan. I was not that impressed with Ryan Gosling that much. He was okay, but it looks like they removed a lot of the science behind the book. So in a nut shell, it was dumbed down.

Yes, they did remove a lot of the science. Our group realized that the movie would have been another 30 mins if not longer if you get into all the science. You have to make it appeal to those who never read the book.

[FlyingPenguin]

Finally saw it last Friday. Loved it. I knew they'd have to remove a lot but they still touched on all the main points of the book. I love that they kept the final scene from the book, for the most part.

BTW: The director and editor say they actually had a nearly 4 hour movie edited initially, and tried to convince the studio to release it that way. I think that the studio made the right decision: a 2hr 45 min length was long enough for a theatrical release (you'd bore the shit out of people who had never read the book), but I am stoked to hear that there is actually a 4 hour version somewhere, with the promise of more scenes from the book. As a fan of the book I would dearly love to see a 4 hour directors cut. Please!

There were around 20 people in the theater (matinee) all around my age or older. I got the vibe from conversations and talking to them myself, that most didn't know it was based on a book. Everyone loved it - they gave the movie a standing ovation.

BTW: Andy Weir earned 6 figures for the movie rights to the Martian (exact amount has never been publicly released). He got $3 million for Hail Mary. Good for him!

While not as beautiful as The Martian or Hail Mary, his other novel, Artemis, was also pretty good (time for a re-read). It also is more of an action/thriller that would be pretty easy to turn into a screenplay.

[Losbot]

1- Would love to see the long version.
2- Agreed, that for those who didn't read and enjoy the book, it's long enough to keep them interested.
3- I enjoyed Artemis. Wife and I have read all of Weir's books now.

Black Fleet Trilogy is my current binge. On 3rd book.

[FlyingPenguin]

I'm currently reading Dennis E. Taylor's (author of the Bobbiverse) book Roadkill. Like all his books, it's just a lot of fun and an easy read. Book doesn't waste time. First chapter a guy in a delivery van hits an invisible alien crossing the road.

[Losbot]

LMAO