The Project Hail Mary Trailer Spoils The Book’s Biggest Surprise - and That’s OK

We person our archetypal look astatine Project Hail Mary, the upcoming sci-fi movie starring Ryan Gosling and directed by The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and already 1 of our biggest burning questions has been answered: erstwhile are we going to get our archetypal look astatine Rocky?

With the merchandise of the movie’s archetypal trailer we present know: close now.

Based connected the 2021 caller by The Martian’s Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary follows the communicative of Ryland Grace, a reluctant astronaut tasked with traveling to a distant prima successful the hopes of redeeming humanity from a dying sun. Grace wakes up unsocial and panicked, with nary thought wherever helium is oregon however to implicit his mission.

Enter Rocky, a five-legged abstraction spider who Grace yet befriends and works alongside successful an effort to prevention some of their location planets from a near-certain apocalypse. He’s adjacent parts Chewbacca (a loveable alien who helps the roguish leader navigate the treacheries of outer space) and Mr. Spock (a technological genius whose cognition is indispensable to the hero’s survival).

The New Project Hail Mary Gives Us a Look a Rocky, a Fan-Favorite Character from The Book

Rocky shows up a ways into Weir’s caller and his quality (and consequent relationship with Grace) comes arsenic a spot of a surprise. What seemed to beryllium different Martian-esque solo quest for a quality protagonist rapidly pivots into a high-stakes buddy escapade comedy.

And that’s what makes the glimpses we spot of Rocky successful the movie version’s trailer a shocker. While we don’t get a afloat presumption of Rocky, we bash spot aggregate shots of his arms and hands (feet?) on with indications that Rocky is simply a affable extraterrestrial. And that’s astir apt for the best.

Not lone are fans of Rocky (yes - determination are many, if the cottage manufacture of fan-made Rocky t-shirts, art, and merch is immoderate indication) fixed a archetypal look astatine the 1 of the book’s cardinal characters, but wide audiences who don’t cognize the publication get a crushed to judge Project Hail Mary is much than conscionable The Martian reloaded.

Project Hail Mary does stock a batch of similarities with The Martian, Weir’s anterior bestseller (and consequent blockbuster starring Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain): solitary protagonists who undertake life-or-death missions acold from Earth, analyzable (and entertaining!) technological concepts, and tons and tons of abstraction drama.

But Rocky is the main differentiator here. While The Martian’s Mark Watney is near solo (that’s benignant of the constituent of the story) to, successful his words, “science the shit” retired of his hopeless situation, the enslaved formed by Rocky and Grace successful Project Hail Mary gives the communicative an added furniture of poignancy, comedy, and drama.

As the communicative unfolds, the 2 characters usage their complementary cognition and skills arsenic they look seemingly insurmountable likelihood - each starring to a decision that is astatine erstwhile shocking and wholly appropriate. And portion the trailer leaves conscionable capable of Rocky hidden to let for a small spot of astonishment and wonderment for erstwhile the movie releases, it reveals the cleanable magnitude to get newcomers and diehard fans excited for adjacent year.