- A second trailer for Project Hail Mary has been released
- It gives away a big surprise from the story
- The new sci-fi movie releases in theaters on March 20, 2026
A new trailer for the highly anticipated sci-fi movie Project Hail Mary has been released, but it gives away a big spoiler from the story.
Adapted from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, the new film will see Ryan Gosling play Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up on a spaceship without any memory of who he is or how he got there.
Such a mysterious opening premise means that the story unfolds piece by piece as Grace slowly regains his memory about himself and, crucially, why he’s found himself on a spaceship light-years away from Earth.
While the big planet-saving mission he’s on is not something that’s hidden from the novel’s synopsis – Grace very quickly learns why he’s on a spaceship – there’s another key plot reveal that is held back till later in the story.
Indeed, it’s not until you’re about a quarter of the way through the book that you’re introduced to a new character that ends up becoming a crucial part of the entire mission. It’s a major plot reveal, as this is when the story really starts to get on course.
While the first Project Hail Mary trailer only showed glimpses of Ryan Gosling’s desperate mission to save the sun, the second that was released today (November 18) contains an even bigger look at the mysterious character – and that might mean you may want to skip it.
What does the second Project Hail Mary trailer reveal?
Spoiler warning! Turn back now if you don’t want to spoil key plot elements of Project Hail Mary.
For anyone who has read the book or doesn’t mind spoilers, the mysterious character I’m referring to above is an alien called Rocky that Grace meets in space, who ends up becoming one of the major protagonists of the entire story.
The alien’s introduction marks a crucial turning point in the narrative, raising the mission’s stakes to a whole new level. But while the book’s blurb and film’s plot both hint at the possibility of Grace not being alone or having an “unexpected friendship”, the first trailer gave this detail away instantly.
Sure, it was only a glimpse of said alien that was teased in the first official trailer (for anyone that wants to go back and watch it in the video below, jump to the two-minute and 25-second mark), but that’s still a major plot reveal if you ask me.
In fact, I thought it was such a meaningful detail to the story that I didn’t even mention it when I first covered the trailer, but Amazon MGM Studios has since confirmed that it’s not holding back on hiding the alien from audiences with the release of the second official trailer.
The new trailer includes numerous clips taken from scenes with the alien, and these aren’t just short glimpses of its limbs, either. Throughout the three-minute and four-second trailer, there are several clips that give audiences a look at the alien’s full rocky form.
Perhaps this is to draw in fans of the book like me, who might also be keen to see how the spider-like alien ended up taking shape in the movie, or maybe it’s to hook in those unfamiliar with the story by seeing the extraterrestrial creature that’s at the core of it all. Whatever the reason, I still think that the alien could have been held back from marketing materials.
Maybe I’m in the minority, but playing out all the different scenarios that a film could take, only to be surprised by the direction it ends up going in or finally seeing the set pieces and costumes of a book brought to life, is a big part of the enjoyment I take from watching a movie. Without this, the element of surprise is taken away, which can make a story too predictable.
Amazon, MGM Studios, and Sony may as well have brought back the late Don LaFontaine to make the trailer in typical ’80s fashion, where the entire plot is given away through narration. To be clear, it’s not nearly that bad, but I do think that our first look at the alien could have waited till the film’s premiere.
At least it’s not long until Project Hail Mary is released in theaters on March 20, 2026 – who else is counting down until you can book our IMAX tickets?
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amelia.schwanke@futurenet.com (Amelia Schwanke)
