Ryan Gosling’s big move is PROJECT HAIL MARY

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Opening March 20, from MGM Amazon Studios, Ryan Gosling is taking UFO disclosure to a whole other level with his new movie PROJECT HAIL MARY. Gosling plays a middle school teacher who is tasked with saving the Earth from solar implosion after a virus has infected our life-giving star. And he puts the “not” in astronaut, as the movie quote goes. But it’s much more than a space shot novelty, this is a kind of STEM fable about human survival as species.“It’s such an epic journey,” Gosling explains, “and Ryland Grace is not stoic in any way. He’s not brave in any traditional sense and he doesn’t have any illusions about being a hero. But he keeps trying.”

Quick facts about the production include that “The Martian” author Andy Weir sent an early version of this novel directly to Ryan Gosling, who fell in love with it. Especially since his wife, beloved actress Eva Mendes, apparently keeps a hall monitor sash on display in their house from her own time in school. Ryan shared this story on Jimmy Fallon’s March 5th show, gushing that Eva “loves teachers so much.” Gosling even gave Eva a surprise birthday gift, on-air, of a live high school marching band performing on the Tonight show with a teachers-only audience of thrilled educators invited to attend a private screening after the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon studio taping.

With that heartfelt backstory, the movie is a one-of-a-kind odd gem whereby Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is a science teacher, as mentioned, shot into space to save Earth, as he must find out what is killing the Sun in our solar system (among other prominent stars also infected) based on happenings in another galaxy… and he meets an alien.

If this sounds crazy or far-fetched, well, it’s a movie. PROJECT HAIL MARY is getting the star treatment in reviews, and literally is the nerdy love story with science you’ve been waiting your whole life for, not even kidding. Ticket info can be found after a list of the credits, because these people have made a fantastic movie that we need right now on Earth.

But let Ryan Gosling convince you himself. “Project Hail Mary is about the sun dying, but it’s also deeply hopeful. It supports the idea that we’re capable of solving impossible problems, that if we don’t give up, miracles are possible.”

Directed by: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
 and Screenplay by: Drew Goddard
Based on the novel by: Andy Weir
Produced by: Amy Pascal, p.g.a., Ryan Gosling, p.g.a., Phil Lord, p.g.a.,
Christopher Miller, p.g.a., Aditya Sood, p.g.a., Rachel O’Connor, p.g.a., Andy Weir
Executive Producers: Patricia Whitcher, Lucy Winn Kitada, Nikki Baida, Ken Kao, Drew Goddard, Sarah Esberg
Presented by Amazon MGM Studios presents, a Pascal Pictures, Open Invite Films/Waypoint Entertainment, Lord Miller production; A Film by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller.
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, Priya Kansara

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Film Site: ProjectHailMary.com
Get tickets here.

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