Summary

Fans question if trailer reveals major plot point: Grace meeting alien Rocky.
Fans debate whether Rocky encounter in trailer was a spoiler or necessary.
Gosling shines as Grace in adaptation of creative and memorable sci-fi novel.

Fans of Andy Weir's sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary have been waiting for a trailer, and now that it's here, they're wondering if the biggest plot point has been given away.

Published in 2021, Project Hail Mary tells the story of Ryland Grace, a teacher who wakes up after being in a coma and thinks about the fascinating and haunting experience he had in space. Ryan Gosling, who is also starring in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, along with the movie The Actor, plays Grace. Other cast members in the Amazon MGM Studios movie include Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, and Sandra Hüller. Christopher Miller and Phil Lord directed the film, which Drew Goddard wrote. Goddard is known co-writing and directing the clever horror movie The Cabin in the Woods, and Miller and Lord have written and directed several movies. After directing 21 Jump Street, which was released in 2014, they wrote 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse along with David Callaham. From the trailer alone, it's clear that Project Hail Mary is a creative and memorable adaptation. However, fans who love the book are unsure about one story detail being shared.

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By Rachael Fiddis

Fans Are Debating If The Project Hail Mary Trailer Gives Too Much Away

The Project Hail Mary trailer opens with Ryland Grace explaining he "just woke up from a coma" and is "light years" from his apartment. Grace is a science teacher who learns that the sun is dying, along with most of the stars. When he says that he's certain that a solution will be discovered, he's told, "you are the solution." Grace is asked to perform a special mission: go into space to figure out why one star isn't dying. If he doesn't, or if he fails, the people and species on Earth will be extinct. Then, the trailer shows what is arguably the biggest moment from the book: when Grace meets an alien named Rocky. Grace stares out into the abyss from the spaceship and sees a hand approach. Later, he says, "He's kinda growing on me. He's not growing in me, you know, which was a concern for a while." Before the trailer ends, Grace says, "I'm gonna call you Rocky. Thumbs up," and shows his sense of humor.

Fans discussed the Project Hail Mary trailer on Reddit and wonder if Grace and Rocky's meeting should have been saved for the movie. While some say this was a spoiler, others think it had to be included in the trailer. Redditor @Harkoncito wrote:

"Oh, they had to spoil THAT, right? I hope they keep the non-linear story."

Redditor @Neatless added:

"Would have been happy if they didn't reveal the encounter. But I get it, it's early in the book, and it makes for a better trailer."

One Redditor said "it's barely a spoiler" and including the Rocky and Grace meeting will ensure that audiences want to see the movie. They said, "People love buddy comedies and first contact stories."

While it's possible to see both sides of this debate, Rocky is an important part of the story. It makes sense for audiences to walk into a screening of Project Hail Mary knowing that it's a story about a man befriending an alien, rather than a sci-fi movie about evil aliens who are the villains. While the book and movie have some similarities to Weir's novel The Martian, which was made into a 2015 movie starring Matt Damon (and also written by Drew Goddard), Rocky is a unique and beloved character. The Project Hail Mary trailer also keeps some mystery and intrigue by only showing Rocky's hand, and audiences will have to wait until the movie's release to see all of him. Some fans pointed out that the conversation surrounding Project Hail Mary always involves Rocky, so the trailer doesn't give anything away, which is also a fair point.

Grace is a great role for Gosling, who in the past few years has shown his versatility as an actor. Besides playing Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, he's taken on roles in the action movies The Gray Man and The Fall Guy, and now he's starring in this popular sci-fi story.

Project Hail Mary will be released in theaters on March 20th, 2026.

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Release Date: March 20, 2026
Runtime: 166 Minutes
Director: Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
Writers: Drew Goddard, Andy Weir
Producers: Patricia Whitcher, Ryan Gosling, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg, Ken Kao, Aditya Sood, Will Allegra