A Glimpse into the Future: “Project Hail Mary” at Comic-Con
Comic-Con attendees were treated to an exclusive preview of the upcoming sci-fi space thriller Project Hail Mary on Saturday, offering a first look at the film starring Ryan Gosling. The movie is set to debut in US theaters in March 2026 and has already generated significant excitement among fans.
The film’s panel at Comic-Con featured Gosling alongside directing duo Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and author Andy Weir, who previously wrote The Martian, another bestselling novel that was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film. Project Hail Mary is based on Weir’s 2021 book of the same name and follows astronaut Ryland Grace, played by Gosling, as he awakens from a long hibernation to discover he has been recruited for a critical mission to save Earth from a dire solar threat.
Gosling described his character as “a scared guy who has to do something impossible.” He shared his enthusiasm for the project, stating, “I knew it would be brilliant, because it’s Andy [Weir]. It took me places I’ve never been. It showed me things I had never seen. It was as heartbreaking as it was funny, and I was not just blown away, but also overwhelmed.”
Weir expressed his excitement about seeing his work come to life on screen and praised Gosling for bringing depth to the character he created. “It was so cool to see my book come to life,” Weir said. “Ryan gave many layers to this character I made up.”
Miller and Lord, known for their work on the Spider-Verse Spider-Man animated films, discussed the challenges of filming a “crazy ambitious” movie that takes place mostly inside a spaceship. They revealed that they built an entire spaceship with two modes of gravity and constructed a massive tunnel that filled an entire stage. “This is insane, to build a tunnel that was like 100 feet long, filled up an entire stage,” Miller said.
The event also showcased various clips from the film, which received positive feedback from fans. Many highlighted the bond between Gosling’s character and an alien named Rocky. “The relationship between these two characters is the heart of the movie,” Miller noted. Fan April Rodriguez, who had read the book, said, “I just never, like, envisioned it that way. So that was pretty cool.”
Star Trek Makes a Splash at Comic-Con
In addition to Project Hail Mary, Comic-Con welcomed the Star Trek universe to the main stage earlier in the day. The convention, which attracted around 130,000 fans in San Diego, California, featured exclusive footage from the fourth season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds before its premiere on Paramount+.
One clip showcased Captain Christopher Pike, played by Anson Mount, in an episode where the cast is depicted as puppets from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Fans were also given a first look at a new Star Trek series called Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, which stars Holly Hunter.
Hunter plays Nahla Ake, the academy’s chancellor and captain of the USS Athena. In a clip shown at Comic-Con, she welcomes a new class of cadets. “It was really interesting to get the offer to be the captain, but then also to combine that with being the chancellor,” Hunter said. “The captain is there to analyze in emergency situations and delegate, while the chancellor is there to guide, collaborate, and have tremendous empathy. It was just a wonderful combination of things,” she added.
Comic-Con continued on Sunday with its final day of events, drawing fans from across the globe for one last celebration of pop culture.