Ryan Gosling & His Alien Best Friend Must Save Their Planets In Final Project Hail Mary Trailer

2 days ago 7

Published Feb 8, 2026, 3:06 PM EST

Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.

Ryan Gosling meets his alien best friend as they face life-or-death stakes in the final trailer for Project Hail Mary.

The upcoming science-fiction film, based on Andy Weir's novel of the same name, sees Gosling playing Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher sent to space on a mission to secure humanity's future. The adaptation is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Drew Goddard, and also stars Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Priya Kansara, and James Ortiz.

Hours before the Super Bowl, the final trailer for Project Hail Mary has been released. It shows Grace being told that everything on Earth, including humanity, will go extinct if his mission fails. The majority of the remaining footage sees him meeting and bonding with an alien known as Rocky. Since the sun of Rocky's planet is also dying, they find that they are both trying to save their respective worlds and must learn to communicate. Their journey includes a humorous sequence of the alien testing out different voices and an emotional moment of Rocky saying he will not let Grace die. Check out the trailer below:

Ortiz is the voice and lead puppeteer who brings Rocky to life for the film. After revealing the alien in a previous trailer, the newest marketing shows a great deal of the creature's friendship developing with Grace, and confirms major changes from the source material. In the book, Grace wakes up on a ship in outer space with amnesia. He doesn't remember who he is or why he is there, but gradually begins to piece it all together while his relationship with Rocky grows. The amnesia seems to have been completely eliminated from the film, with Grace well aware of his identity and circumstances before and during his time in space.

While these challenges will likely be controversial for fans of the book, Project Hail Mary remains one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. Weir previously wrote The Martian, which Ridley Scott adapted, and it became a critical and commercial success.

Gosling has valuable science-fiction experience with his leading role in Blade Runner 2049, and his star power helped make Barbie a $1.4 billion dollar success. Lord and Miller have made plenty of hits as well, including The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Project Hail Mary now has the potential to be the first massive box office film of 2026 following its March 20 release, especially after the increased anticipation from the final trailer.