Ryan Gosling's New Sci-Fi Epic Is Already Being Hailed as a "Masterpiece" That Rivals 'Interstellar'

2 days ago 8

Published Feb 25, 2026, 12:12 PM EST

Adam Blevins began working in the entertainment industry in 2022 as a Staff Writer for Agents of Fandom, where he progressed to Senior Editor and interviewed talent from Marvel Studios, House of the Dragon, and Planet of the Apes. He joined Collider as a News Author in April 2024, was promoted to a Senior position in December 2024, and has written over 3,000 articles for the site, including exclusives relating to Avengers: Doomsday, The Penguin, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and more. He primarily writes about the latest box office numbers and the hottest movies and TV shows on streaming, while also covering superhero and sci-fi news. He has completed a set visit for The Chosen and even has several months of experience writing Gaming Features at ScreenRant. You can find him on X, LinkedIn, and Muckrack.

It’s still early in 2026, but the film shaping up to be one of the best of the year is Project Hail Mary. The space sci-fi epic is adapted from the critically acclaimed novel of the same name by Andy Weir, who also wrote the novel that was adapted into The Martian. Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling, and it was written by Drew Goddard and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The film tells the story of a middle school science teacher who is pulled into a government project to save the world from an energy-eating bacteria consuming the sun. Not only is he recruited to help solve the problem on Earth, but he’s also sent to space to solve the problem firsthand.

Project Hail Mary is set to premiere in theaters around the world on March 20, but early screenings of the film have been shared with members of the press over the past week. Early reactions are painting it as one of the greatest sci-fi masterpieces of all time. ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley took to his personal X account to call the film “perfect,” saying that “Gosling captivates in a largely one-man show.” Variety critic Jazz Tangcay also shared a glowing review of the film on her X account, calling it “masterful and so beautifully done.” She also praised Gosling’s performance and Greig Fraser’s cinematography. Kevin Verma of NexusPointNews admitted that he was “floored” by the film, praising directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller for delivering a “space odyssey that is deeply human and heartwarming.”

Eric Goldman didn’t hold back, calling the film “terrific” and revealing that it moved him to tears multiple times. Germain Lussier, senior reporter at Gizmodo, called Project Hail Mary “pure joy” and said that “the 160 minutes go by in an instant.” The official review embargo for Project Hail Mary has not yet lifted, but if these critical reactions are any indication, it could be one of the highest-rated sci-fi epics of all time. Gosling is fresh off his Oscar-nominated work in Barbie, and he could be in line for another Academy Award nod in the biggest Oscar darling of 2026.

Will There Be a Sequel To ‘Project Hail Mary’?

It’s highly unlikely that there will ever be a sequel to Project Hail Mary. Similar to The Martian, Andy Weir wrote a complete story with a finite ending, and if the creative team were to pursue a sequel, it would mean going off-book and writing new material beyond what Weir created for the novel. This isn’t entirely unheard of, though. The first season of Dark Matter adapted the entirety of Blake Crouch’s novel, but it was renewed for Season 2 with Crouch writing new material for the show.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Project Hail Mary.