This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com.
Project Hail Mary arrives in theaters this weekend. The movie, based on Andy Weir's New York Times best-selling novel of the same name, is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative masterminds behind Sony Pictures' animated Spider-Verse trilogy.
This big screen adaptation sticks closely to the book it's based on, with a moving, powerful ending that leaves the viewer with plenty to think about. Now, we're taking a deep dive into how the story wraps up and what it means for Project Hail Mary's two leads.
In the movie, Ryan Gosling's Dr. Ryland Grace is tasked with finding a way to halt an Astrophage infestation devouring the Earth's sun, which would plunge the planet into catastrophic cooling over the next 30 years.
While in space, Grace encounters an alien he nicknames Rocky, whose home planet in the Eridani system faces the same crisis. The unlikely pair join forces and discover a solution: Taumoeba, a predatory organism that naturally controls Astrophage populations. They develop methods to cultivate more Taumoeba, share an emotional goodbye, and set off for their respective worlds to implement the fix.
On the journey home, however, Grace realises a devastating truth: the Taumoeba will likely consume the fuel in Rocky's ship, dooming him and the entire population of Eridani to a slow death. With that, Grace faces a profound choice: head back to Earth, or divert and rescue Rocky, knowing he will never see Earth again.
Previously selfish, cowardly, and conscripted into "Project Hail Mary" against his will, Grace rises to the occasion as a true hero. Sending the Taumoeba findings and samples back to Earth via automated probes to save humanity, he redirects the remaining fuel in the Hail Mary to save his friend.
Grace and Rocky reunite, and the story concludes with Grace living on Erid. The Eridians have constructed a biodome tailored for their human guest, replicating Earth-like conditions, and Rocky tells his friend that they're developing technology capable of travelling to Earth.
He's not sure about leaving, though, and much to Rocky's delight, seems more interested in staying. In Project Hail Mary's final moments, Grace is back to teaching a classroom of students. This time, the eager alien children are far more enthusiastic than his former human pupils, and he's clearly happier than he's ever been in his new home.
During a recent interview with IndieWire, writer Drew Goddard confirmed that he, Lord, and Miller had to fight to retain the novel's ending.
"Whenever you’re doing anything that feels bold or different, I’ve learned, people are going to push back against it," he shared. "There’s a human quality in what we do that you feel comforted if it’s been done already."
"So anytime something’s different, and you take a chance on something, there’s an initial reaction to say, 'No, no, no, no, don’t do this, it feels weird. This is too new. I don’t understand this,'" Goddard concluded.
Project Hail Mary arrives in theaters on March 20.