The Martian Author’s Moon-Set Adaptation Gets New Update 8 Years Later

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Andy Weir, the author of The Martian, is about to see his second book adapted for the screen with Project Hail Mary. Plus, a movie version of his novel Artemis is also in the works.

Although the science fiction novel was released in 2017, 20th Century Studios secured the movie rights to it beforehand. In September of the same year, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were named as the directors. They ended up directing Project Hail Mary first, which will be released on March 20th. In a recent interview, they confirmed that the Artemis film is still in development.

“We are still actively developing it, and there’ll be more to come,” Miller confirmed.

Project Hail Mary Directors Detailed What’s Keeping the Artemis

I learned from Lord that the big challenge with that scene was the moon’s gravity – it’s only about one-sixth of what we have here on Earth! He said actually filming it in a way that looked real was incredibly difficult.

The director explained that a highlight of the film was successfully capturing those kinds of scenes. They developed a method to simulate moon gravity without requiring an enormous budget.

This story takes place in the late 2080s in Artemis, the first city ever built on the Moon. It follows Jasmine “Jazz” Bashara, a woman who works as both a porter and a smuggler, as she gets tangled up in a dangerous plot to take over the city.

Since the story is set on the Moon, any adaptation would need to realistically portray the lack of gravity and build a believable lunar city.

I totally get why Hollywood jumped on adapting that book so quickly! The movie, directed by Ridley Scott, was a huge hit – it earned seven Oscar nominations and made over $630 million at the box office, all from a budget of just $108 million. It was a massive success!

Project Hail Mary Is a Great First Step to Artemis

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s upcoming film is a promising start to bringing the novel Artemis to the screen. Starring Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary takes place in space, and follows the story of Ryland Grace, who wakes up alone with no memory of who he is or how he ended up there.

Waking up from a coma, he recalls being sent on a desperate mission to save Earth – the sun is fading, and humanity is facing extinction. As he begins working on a solution, he discovers he isn’t the only one out there, and forms an alliance with a being from another world to find a way to save both their planets.

The new science fiction movie will be released in theaters and IMAX on March 20th. Early reviews have been positive, with some critics comparing it to Interstellar and predicting it will be the first major hit film of 2026.

If the $150 million movie Project Hail Mary does well, it will likely make it easier for Lord and Miller to secure funding for their next film, Artemis.

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2026-02-28 20:37