- Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling, who also produced the film, alongside Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, and Lionel Boyce, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and released on March 20, 2026, by Amazon MGM Studios
- The film’s trailer became the most viewed trailer for any original movie in the first week of its release, accumulating 400 million views globally
- Project Hail Mary currently holds a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart
Nobody saw the trailer coming. And then suddenly, 400 million people had watched it in a single week. Project Hail Mary follows science teacher Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, who wakes up on a spaceship light-years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out and save everything on Earth from extinction. But an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
The cast assembled around that premise is just as extraordinary as the story itself. Here is every face you need to know before you buy your ticket.
The Lead Who Carries the Entire Film
Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a junior high science teacher who wakes up millions of miles from home with zero memory of who he is. His two fellow crew members did not survive the trip, leaving him entirely alone as his memories slowly click back into place and the weight of saving humanity settles onto his shoulders.
Gosling does not just act in this film. He produced it. And by all accounts, he worked for years to make sure it got made the right way. Critics have praised his performance specifically, with Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus describing it as Gosling at his most winning. Audiences who have seen it are already comparing it to his best work, which is saying something for a man who has given us La La Land, Drive, and Barbie.
The Supporting Cast That Makes It Sing
Sandra Hüller plays Eva Stratt, the head of the entire project, a woman with absolute global authority over the mission. Hüller, who stunned the world in Anatomy of a Fall, brings that same unsettling precision here. Reviewers have noted that Gosling dominates the screen for well over two hours, only for Hüller to steal the whole thing with a single karaoke number. Do not look that up. Just go and see it.
Lionel Boyce plays Officer Carl, initially Stratt’s security officer, who becomes a companion to Grace during his recruitment phase. Boyce is best known for his work on The Bear, and he brings that same grounded, quietly devastating energy to the role.
Milana Vayntrub provides the voice of Mary, the Hail Mary ship’s artificial intelligence, giving the spacecraft a personality that becomes genuinely affecting across the course of the film.
The Most Unexpected Credit on the Entire Cast List
Here is where things get genuinely wild. James Ortiz serves as both the translated voice and the lead puppeteer for Rocky, the alien engineer Ryland encounters in deep space. While Ortiz provided the primary voice for the character, Ray Porter and Meryl Streep are both credited with providing additional vocal layers.
Meryl Streep. Voicing an alien. In a sci-fi blockbuster. That sentence alone should be enough to get anyone into a seat.
The rest of the supporting cast includes Orion Lee as Dr. Li, a key scientist involved in the mission’s development, Amira Ghazalla as Dr. Lokken, a Norwegian aeronautics expert responsible for the ship’s centrifugal design, and Aaron Neil as Narender, a character created specifically for the film who serves as a member of the mission’s broader support crew.
Is It Actually Worth the Hype?
In short, yes. The film received critical acclaim for its screenplay, visuals, soundtrack, and Gosling’s performance, and has already grossed 77 million dollars at the global box office. The San Francisco Chronicle called it a masterpiece of a family popcorn movie, with eye-popping hand-crafted production design and outstanding creature design and puppetry work.
Audience reactions on social media have been something else entirely. People are posting that they cried, that they were not prepared, that it might be the best film of this generation. Whether or not it lives up to every breathless superlative, one thing is clear: Project Hail Mary is also released in IMAX theaters with a 1.43:1 aspect ratio, and if there was ever a film built to be seen as big as possible, this is the one.
