Project Hail Mary was originally much longer, reveals Drew Goddard

Drew Goddard has revealed that early versions of Project Hail Mary ran over three hours before being cut down for its theatrical release.

The sci-fi film, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Ryan Gosling, ultimately landed at a 2-hour-36-minute runtime after extensive editing.

Goddard shared that the longer early cut allowed the filmmakers to dive deeper into the story’s complex science and character moments, staying closer to Andy Weir’s novel. However, as the film progressed through production, it was refined into a tighter version while still aiming to preserve its emotional core.

Despite trimming the runtime, the final cut still pushed boundaries for a mainstream sci-fi release, even receiving “gentle pushback” from the studio over its length and ambition.

Goddard emphasized that the team resisted simplifying the story too much, choosing instead to trust audiences to engage with its ideas. The result is a film that balances scientific depth with emotional storytelling, even in its more streamlined form.