There haven't been many science fiction films as good asThe Martianin the past 10 years. Happily, the wait will be over in 2026 when the next film based on an Andy Weir novel arrives.
The Martianhad the benefit of the brilliant director Ridley Scott calling the shots. I think it's safe to say that the director ofAlien,Blade Runner, and the classic 1984-themed Macintosh ad knows his way around science fiction. But every great film needs a great script. Drew Goddard was the screenwriter who transferred Andy Weir's words from the page to the screen forThe Martian.
Scott isn't back for this follow-up film, but Goddard is. He's also the screenwriter ofCloverfield,The Cabin in the Woods, andBad Times at the El Royale- a criminally underrated film. As for the director, make that plural. One of the very best directing duos around is helming this picture. If you loved the21 Jump Streetflicks orThe Lego Movie, you can thank Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. They also wrote theSpider-versefilms. Well, Lord soloed on the first, but let's not be picky. So expect good things from their next project.
Project Hail Mary is no long shot for greatness
Their next film,Project Hail Mary, is in no way a sequel toThe Martian. But describing it as a spiritual successor is quite accurate. Other than being science fiction from the same author, there is no direct link between the two stories. But they both are about survival against nearly insurmountable odds, with a healthy dose of humor to keep you from pulling your hair out from the tension. And yes, I expect it will pluck at your heartstrings as much asany of these classics.
We get to travel along with middle school science teacher Ryland Grace as he's the one person who can save the planet. Okay, to be fair, the entire universe. Trust me, it will make sense as to why he's the guy. He's not so sure about it; as you'll see in the trailer, he declares, "I put the not in astronaut."
The book is terrific. I even enjoyed it a bit more than the story of astronaut Mark Watney, and I loved that book (and movie). The trailer highlights the funnier aspects of the film, but unless it strays very, very far from the book, there will be plenty of teeth-grinding, armchair-gripping moments in the movie. And as you might guess from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer logo, this will eventually be on Prime Video on a TV near you. But for gosh sakes, this is one movie you'll have to see in the theater.
You can catch the trailer when you go seeJurassic World Rebirth. You know, it's the one with all thecool dinosaurs. Or you could just watch it right here. We aim to make your life easier.
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