Ryan Gosling is an astronaut trying to save earth in first "Project Hail Mary" trailer

Gosling is the flashy face of "Project Hail Mary," and if this feels like his own personal "The Martian" in a way, you aren't barking up the wrong tree. This film is based on a book by Andy Weir, also the author of "The Martian." On top of that, the adaptation was written by Drew Goddard who also wrote the screenplay for, yes, "The Martian." While Ridley Scott didn't direct "Project Hail Mary," the directors are instead Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. You know, the guys who directed "The Lego Movie" and "21 Jump Street." Also, they were the original directors of "Solo" before being pushed out so Disney could hire Ron Howard to deliver a reliable, conflict-free version of the movie. Now Lord and Miller get to do a proper sci-fi story.

It's been a decade since "The Martian" came out, so you may not recall, but that was a massive success. The film made $630.6 million and earned seven Oscar nominations. Even in 2015 it was remarkable for a movie that wasn't a sequel or a remake to be that big of a hit. Only one other movie in the top 10 of the worldwide box office that year wasn't at least the third film in a franchise, and that was the family-friendly Pixar movie "Inside Out."

Now, that's not to say "Project Hail Mary" will hit like "The Martian" did. It does feel like, based on the trailer, fans of "The Martian" will also enjoy "Project Hail Mary," though. 2025 Gosling isn't quite 2015 Matt Damon in terms of stardom, but he still has some of that Ken-based goodwill. 

The film doesn't arrive until March 20, 2026, so we have plenty of time to mull it over.