Originally published on 3/19/26

One of the most-anticipated movies of the year is Project Hail Mary, a captivating sci-fi film based on the international bestselling book written by Andy Weir. The story follows Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a scientist who winds up on a rocket ship in space without any idea how he got there. Woman’s World recently caught up with Weir to talk about casting, his author journey and a potential Project Hail Mary sequel. Keep scrolling for all the details. 

Andy Weir discusses his author journey 

Prior to becoming an author, Weir was a software engineer who wrote in his free time eventually self-publishing his first book, The Martian, in 2011. Today, the book has sold more than 5 million copies and was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Matt Damon in 2015. 

“I didn’t expect to become this successful,” Weir tells Woman’s World. “My first book, The Martian, was self-published on Amazon with Kindle Direct Publishing and then it took off and I got a print deal with Penguin Random House. From there, The Martian took off. It got made into a movie. I did another book called Artemis and then came Project Hail Mary.” 

Project Hail Mary was published in 2021 and has become one of the most listened-to audiobooks of all time. It has heart, thrilling moments and a friendship you can’t help but root for.

Following the initial publication, readers everywhere were begging film studios to turn it into a movie. Finally, Gosling himself brought the book to Amazon MGM Studios, leading to the production of the highly anticipated movie. 

Andy Weir reveals his involvement in the ‘Project Hail Mary’ film 

When it comes to film adaptations, some authors aren’t involved in the process at all. But for this one, Weir was hands-on every step of the way. 

“I wasn’t a producer on The Martian. My only job was to cash the check, which I did. I feel like I accomplished that quite well. But on this one, I was a producer, so I was involved in all the decisions,” the author explains. “I tried to stay out of the way of the real producers and let them get on with their job. I was there for most of the shoot, all the studio work anyway, and watched it all come together bit by bit.” 

“I also had meetings with Ryan every day just to talk about what he was shooting,” Weir continues. “Ryan’s really a pro and very good at what he does and he’s just a very pleasant and nice person.” 

When it came time to make the film, Weir said he really wanted to see the scene when Ryland and Rocky, an alien from outer space, first meet. He also wanted to see them go to Planet Adrian to catch the particles that keep the planet from being destroyed by Astrophage, which is one the most intense scenes in the book. 

“We call it the fishing sequence, where they’re gathering samples from Adrian’s atmosphere,” Weir said, “That’s a very exciting action scene with high stakes and danger and drama, and it came out so well.” 

Andy Weir shares what’s next for him 

Weir is currently working on a new sci-fi novel, but he isn’t revealing details yet. What he did share with Woman’s World: 

“It’s not a sequel to anything else. It’s another standalone story. I’m not going to write a sequel until I have something really good.” 

You can pick up your copy of Project Hail Mary now wherever books are sold, and be sure to see the movie in theaters everywhere Friday, March 20. 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/books/andy-weir-discusses-project-hail-mary-movie-exclusive