If you’re going to adapt a novel by “The Martian” author Andy Weir, also about an astronaut in space, and starring Ryan Gosling in his return to outer space, who better to help write the story than the man who already adapted “The Martian” in the first place? Drew Goddard is reportedly joining Phil Lord and Chris Miller for “Project Hail Mary.”
The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on Goddard joining the MGM space project. Goddard was already nominated for an Oscar for adapting Weir’s novel “The Martian” so it makes sense that he would be tapped to work on the story with Lord and Miller, though at the moment it is unclear if he will also assume screenwriting duties.
As previously reported, the film stars Ryan Gosling as “an astronaut who wakes up to find himself millions of miles away from home, in a tiny craft with two dead crewmates for company and no recollection of his mission or even his name. But this man will soon discover he is humanity’s only hope for survival from an extinction-level threat.”
Goddard’s had some bad luck in recent years, with high-profile projects in various stages of development slowly fading away or getting outright canceled. For every “The Martian” and “Bad Times at the El Royale,” there was a “Sinister Six,” or an “X-Force.” As for “Project Hail Mary,” MGM already spent $3 million for the rights to the book alone, a book that isn’t even published yet.
Likewise, Gosling had to get the blessing from Universal‘s chairman in order to hire Lord and Miller for the project since they have a first-look deal with the studio, so they are all in on the project.