Usually, when a big Hollywood sci-fi film starring a major movie star makes over half a billion dollars, a sequel is inevitable. However, in the case of Project Hail Mary starring Ryan Gosling, we think leaving the story alone is the right move.
Since its release in March, Project Hail Mary has become one of the biggest hits and most talked-about films of the year. Audiences love it, and, as one would expect, talk of a sequel began almost immediately. How could it not? The people in charge would be silly not to at least consider how they could keep the goodwill (and cash) flowing.
The prevailing thought, however, is that a sequel can’t and won’t happen without the input of Andy Weir. Weir wrote Project Hail Mary, the novel, in 2021 and hasn’t released another book since. He’s said to be working on a new one, but what it’s about remains a secret. What we do know is that he’s never written a sequel, and the new book is definitely not a sequel to Project Hail Mary. So, where does that leave things in terms of another movie?
Well, where Project Hail Mary itself left things already makes a sequel pretty difficult. Not impossible, of course, but difficult. By the end of the film, Ryland Grace has completed his long-shot, Hail Mary space mission to save Earth. However, he did so alongside an alien named Rocky, with whom he quickly became best friends.
On his way home, Grace discovers a miscalculation and has to make a choice: stay on course or save Rocky. He picks the latter and ends up on Erid, Rocky’s home planet. The Eridians fix Grace’s ship, giving him a chance to go home, but Grace isn’t in any rush. And the film leaves him there, content, on Erid with his best friend.
There are a few things that make Project Hail Mary so special, and bringing them all back for a sequel is both crucial and incredibly challenging. First, you need Grace and Rocky. You can’t have the movie without both of them. And so, maybe you tell the story of the pair saving other planets thanks to their discoveries. Or maybe there’s another big disaster that necessitates their expertise.
Both of those ideas miss out on another key element, though: the development of the friendship. Again, one of the joys of Project Hail Mary is watching humans and Eridians, two totally different beings, learning about each other. Figuring out each other’s customs. Each other’s language. Now that Grace and Rocky are friends, there’s surely some humor to be played for that, but can it capture that same feeling or fill a whole movie? Highly doubtful. A sequel could probably introduce a third species to attempt the feat, but that seems a tad repetitive.
And, again, merely replicating Rocky and Grace’s relationship in some way misses the final key ingredient: the stakes. The reason Project Hail Mary is called that is that the mission is seemingly impossible. There’s no way it should work. And, if it doesn’t, two planets’ worth of beings die. There almost couldn’t be higher stakes. So, whatever new story developed would need that as well.
All of which is to say, we’d love it if Project Hail Mary remained a one-off. It’s perfect as is with two great characters, fantastic dynamics, and world-saving stakes. And yet, if Andy Weir has an idea that excites him enough, we retain the ability to throw this article out entirely. But only if and when that happens. Because, without Weir’s idea, an idea he believes doesn’t undercut the original, we believe any attempt at a sequel could be a potential disaster.
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