This Sci-Fi Masterpiece Is A Must-Watch Before Ryan Gosling’s $150 Million Space Movie

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Okay, so Ryan Gosling is heading back to space, and this time it’s in Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary. After showing us he can handle sci-fi with films like Blade Runner 2049 and the more grounded First Man, he’s diving into a proper, big-budget blockbuster. We’re talking a reported $150 million, and it’s all brought to life by the directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – so expect a fun ride!

The trailers for Project Hail Mary have created a lot of buzz, and the movie seems poised to be one of the year’s biggest successes. It kicks off a promising 2026 lineup of sci-fi films, bringing back acclaimed directors known for their work in the genre. While directors Lord and Miller haven’t revisited sci-fi recently, there’s another film worth watching before Project Hail Mary – and it shares a surprising connection to the upcoming release.

The Martian Is An Andy Weir Novel Adaptation, Just Like Project Hail Mary

Released in 2015, The Martian is a film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon as Mark Watney, an astronaut presumed dead during a Mars storm. After waking up to find himself stranded, Watney uses his botany skills to survive, build a habitat, and attempt to contact Earth for rescue.

Directed by Scott, starring Damon, and brilliantly adapted from Andy Weir’s novel, The Martian, now available on Paramount+, is considered a modern science fiction classic. It boasts a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and viewers, and earned $630 million worldwide, quickly grabbing the attention of Hollywood for potential future projects.

Andy Weir has written several novels, and after the success of The Martian, Lord and Miller began working on a film adaptation of his book Artemis. However, they later switched to Project Hail Mary in 2020, even before the book was released and became a bestseller. Now, they’re aiming to replicate the success of The Martian with another movie based on Weir’s work.

Both stories – the books and movies – center on characters who are alone in space, and they both combine a grand, sweeping scope with humor. Although many of the people who worked on Project Hail Mary are different from those who worked on The Martian, the filmmakers brought back Drew Goddard to write the screenplay again, recognizing his excellent adaptation of Weir’s previous book.

Because of the shared themes and style, watching The Martian will give you a good idea of what to expect from Project Hail Mary. It’s a perfect time to either discover or re-watch this recent and highly acclaimed science fiction film, even if you aren’t familiar with the book it’s based on.

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2026-02-06 21:08