When a real astronaut endorses your space movie before it's even finished filming, you're probably doing something right.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—who is literally flying to the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission—has given Ryan Gosling's upcoming adaptation of Project Hail Mary his official stamp of approval. Which is fitting, since both Hansen and Gosling are Canadian, both are involved in humanity's relationship with space, and both are doing their respective jobs at extremely high levels.
For those unfamiliar, Project Hail Mary is Andy Weir's follow-up to The Martian, the novel that became Ridley Scott's Matt Damon vehicle and one of the smartest, most successful hard sci-fi films of the last decade. Hail Mary follows a similar formula—science teacher wakes up on a spaceship with no memory, has to solve impossible problems using physics and chemistry—but with higher stakes and weirder science.
Gosling is playing protagonist Ryland Grace, and the fact that a working astronaut is enthusiastic about the project suggests the filmmakers are taking the science seriously. That matters. Audiences can tell when a space movie respects the physics versus when it's just vibes and explosions.
The Martian succeeded partly because Weir did the math, and NASA loved it. Astronauts praised it. Scientists used it in classrooms. It became the gold standard for "smart people solving problems in space" cinema.
If Project Hail Mary can replicate that—Gosling as a relatable everyman using actual science to save humanity—it could be the rare blockbuster that's both entertaining and educational. Plus, Gosling has proven he can carry a cerebral sci-fi film (Blade Runner 2049) and that he's game for weird premises (The Fall Guy, Barbie).
Hansen's endorsement is especially meaningful given he's one of four astronauts currently on the first crewed deep-space mission in over 50 years. He knows what he's talking about. If he thinks Project Hail Mary gets it right, that's about as good a seal of authenticity as you can get.
The film doesn't have a release date yet, but it's being directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind The Lego Movie and Spider-Verse. So it'll be smart, funny, and visually inventive. Add Gosling's charm and Weir's science, and you've got something worth getting excited about.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything. But sometimes, astronauts do.
