Why were the creators of Project Hail Mary “afraid” to make a sci-fi adaptation?

Hail Mary project It is a natural follow-up to Martian. Both films are based on science fiction novels by Andy Weir, and both have bankable stars in the lead roles (Matt Damon for MartianRyan Gosling Hail Mary project) and brilliant directors at its head (Ridley Scott for the former, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for the latter). However, Drew Goddard, the screenwriter on both films, has come in Hail Mary project With a lot of panic.

“My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know how we’re going to turn this into a movie.’ “I was so scared,” he says. Edge. “I didn’t want to let Andy down. But I realized how difficult it was. This is a much more ambitious book than… Martian. It’s a much larger canvas, a much more mature subject, and the detailed emotional story at the heart of this film is so intimate against this heavenly backdrop. I wasn’t sure how to do this justice.

There are a lot of similarities between the two films, as they both follow scientists stuck in seemingly impossible situations. in case Hail Mary projectRyland Grace (Gosling), finds himself on a mission to try to solve the mystery of star-eating microorganisms in order to save Earth, which involves traveling to the far reaches of the galaxy. But two things happened when he arrived. First, he discovered that the rest of his crew had died during the voyage. Second, he meets a young alien who is trying to do the same things in order to save his home planet. All of this makes the story larger in scope Martianand also more diverse in tone. Sometimes it can be hard science fiction; Other times it’s a goofy comedy with friends.

Weir, who served as a producer on the film, says he doesn’t think about the possibility of a film adaptation when writing a new book. “I try not to think about it at all,” he adds. But once it started working Hail Mary projectThere were areas he knew it would be difficult to adapt to. One example: the period between Ryland and his alien friend Rocky meeting for the first time. That’s because up until that point, “there had been no real offer,” he explains. “There’s no way in a visual medium like film to tell the viewer what’s happening. In the book, there’s Ryland’s internal monologue; it’s first-person narration, so you know what he’s thinking and feeling. First-person narration is the ultimate cheat for people who want to tell, not show. I exploit it every chance I get. But for Drew, he had to find a way to convey all that information.” The film uses a few techniques to get around this problem, including flashbacks and scenes in which Gosling essentially talks to himself.

But even though the scale and structure of the story was intimidating to adapt, there was one area the creative team was very confident in: the science. while Hail Mary project It doesn’t have as many science-focused scenes as Martianthere’s still a good amount of it in the film, with Ryland performing experiments, looking through microscopes, and trying to explain complex concepts. But since the masses responded well to the science in… MartianGoddard says he wasn’t shy about that aspect of the new film.

“Go through Martian He explains: “Experience is what gave us the confidence and determination to gain the public’s trust. We did not relent.” MartianAnd I was scared when we screened the first test. I thought the audience wouldn’t accept it; There was a lot of science in there Martian. And the lights came on and they loved the movie and they loved it because He was smart. Going into this film, we kind of had the wind at our back, and we were confident that if we found it interesting, the audience would find it interesting.

However, the follow-up weight Martian He stayed on while he developed the script, a matter exacerbated for Goddard by the fact that work on the film was initially delayed by several months because, as Weir explains, “we wanted[Goddard]to do the job,” so they waited until he was available. “There was an enormous amount of relief for me knowing that I had handed it over to a man who had a proven track record of adapting my books,” Weir says.

Once Goddard completed his existing commitments, he joined the project, despite the project’s inherent concerns. “They waited for me, which was beautiful, and it meant a lot to me,” he says. “But it also increases the pressure.”

_{Hail Mary project It hits theaters on March 20.}