Ryan Gosling Meets His Adorable Alien Friend Rocky in New PROJECT HAIL MARY Clip
Sci-fi fans have been eagerly counting down the days until Project Hail Mary finally lands in theaters, and the excitement keeps building as new footage trickles out.
The upcoming film stars Ryan Gosling and is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, bringing Andy Weir’s beloved novel to the big screen with what looks like a mix of big spectacle and heartfelt character moments.
Now MGM has released a new clip that gives audiences a closer look at one of the movie’s biggest moments: Gosling’s character meeting his unlikely alien companion.
Based on Weir’s novel, Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a mild-mannered school teacher who somehow ends up on a desperate space mission. The catch is that he wakes up alone in deep space with no memory of how he got there.
As his memories slowly return, he realizes he’s been tasked with saving Earth from a looming cosmic disaster. It’s not exactly the kind of job description he signed up for.
When the first trailer dropped, some viewers wondered why it revealed that Ryland encounters an alien. It felt like a pretty big reveal. But as it turns out, that relationship is actually at the heart of the story.
The new clip highlights Ryland’s first interaction with Rocky, a small rock-like alien whose design is both strange and weirdly adorable. The scene plays out with a surprisingly playful tone.
Rocky carefully slides a little figurine out from behind a wall separating them, revealing what appears to be a handmade model of Ryland himself.
That isn’t the only prop Rocky brings to the table. The alien also produces a metallic object shaped like a number four. Ryland studies it and quickly realizes what Rocky is trying to communicate: it represents his ship. Rocky then acts out a tiny story using the figurine, miming Ryland waddling back into the ship as if he’s heading home.
The whole exchange has the energy of a kid showing off their toys, and it quickly becomes clear the film is leaning hard into the unusual friendship forming between the two characters. It’s a surprisingly charming introduction to what could end up being one of sci-fi’s most memorable duos.
Early reactions to the film have already been extremely positive. Critics who’ve seen the film have praised its emotional core, humor, and inventive storytelling.
The movie is also getting the full IMAX treatment, which means audiences can expect massive visuals and a booming score to match the scale of the story. Until the full movie arrives, this new clip gives fans a fun glimpse at the dynamic between Ryland and Rocky.
If the rest of the film delivers on the charm seen here, Project Hail Mary is sure to up being one of the most entertaining sci-fi adventures of the year.
Project Hail Mary opens in theaters on March 20.