Ryan Gosling, looking very nerdy and quite un-Ken-like, plays a science teacher turned astronaut in “Project Hail Mary,” a sci-fi adventure that Amazon MGM Studios teased during its presentation to theater owners at CinemaCon on Wednesday.
“I put the not in astronaut,” Gosling tells the government handler (Sandra Hüller) who has tapped him for to undertake a suicidal space mission. “I can’t even moonwalk.”
The film, an adaptation of Andy Weir’s best-selling novel of the same name, follows an ordinary man who is told he has what it takes to go into the outer reaches of the universe.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the team behind “The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” direct from a script by Drew Goddard, who adapted Weir’s book “The Martian” into a hit Matt Damon movie.
The rights to Weir’s novel sparked a bidding war with MGM Studios, which had not yet sold to Amazon, buying it for $3 million. Gosling recently starred in 2023’s mega-hit, “Barbie,” and appeared opposite Emily Blunt in last summer’s “The Fall Guy,” which was well reviewed, but failed to connect with audiences.
“Project Hail Mary” will open in the United States on March 20, 2026.
Unlike other streaming services, Amazon MGM Studios has endeared itself to theater owners by promising to send over a dozen movies to their screens. Its presence at CinemaCon is intended to show the strength of its commitment.
