Project Hi Mary (PHM) is out now in cinemas worldwide – and whether you’ve seen Ryan Gosling’s new sci-fi film yet or not, you might want to know how it ends. I don’t know why you would do that if you haven’t seen it, but hey, I’m not your father.
Anyway, I suspect you have big questions about the ending of one of the most exciting new movies of the year. However, be aware of: full spoilers immediately follow PHM. If you don’t want to know about its ending, you can bookmark this page for later, read my Project Hi Mary review, go watch it and then come back to this article.
Will Ryland Grace and/or Rocky die in Project Hail Mary?
No, PHM’s beloved protagonists live to fight another day – but, hoo boy, do they do just fine.
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After an unspecified amount of time researching the astrophage—that is, the electromagnetic radiation-feeding microorganism that is slowly killing all but one of the galaxy’s stars—Grace and Rocky make a major breakthrough. They confirm that the only celestial body apparently immune to the astrophage — a star called Tau Ceti — definitely is not affected by them.
The reason? A planet orbiting Tau Ceti, which the pair call ‘Adrian’ in honor of Rocky’s significant other (you know, because of Rocky and Adrian in Rocky film? Never mind…), is home to another microscopic organism that feeds on Astrophage.
Although Tau Ceti has a Petrova line – that is the infrared line inhabited by the astrophage that exists between a planet and its nearest star – the bacteria found on Adrian, which Grace calls ‘Taumoeba’, adhere to the astrophage, which in turn prevents them from feeding on Tau Ceti’s radiation.
So Grace and Rocky come up with a plan: descend into Adrian’s atmosphere, secure a sample of Taumoeba, breed them in the lab on Grace’s spaceship, and take the samples back to their respective solar systems to heal the stars.
It sounds simple – except it’s not. Everything is going according to plan until a rupture in the fuel bay of Grace’s spacecraft causes it to spin violently out of control. Long story short: the centrifugal action of the worrisome spaceship knocks Grace unconscious.
Rocky is on the same ship, albeit in a protective ball – he and Grace can’t survive in the atmosphere of each other’s spaceship – so he breaks out of the capsule to save Grace… but it comes at a cost. The ship’s atmosphere seriously injures Rocky, and when a nearly recovered Grace wakes up days later, neither he nor the audience know Rocky’s fate.
Frantically searching for her adorable alien bestie, Grace finds Rocky badly injured and immobile. Grace keeps an eye on her mate and continues to breed enough Taumoeba for the pair in hopes that Rocky will wake up soon.
Fortunately, we are all spared to see our new favorite alien perish. Finally, to the delight of all who will watch PHMRocky recovers from his wounds, and in a very moving scene, he and Grace embrace, albeit with one of Rocky’s protective capsule walls between them.
Why doesn’t Ryland Grace return to Earth in Project Hail Mary?
Grace tells Rocky about what he’s been up to, and after a tearful goodbye, the duo part ways – but it won’t be the last time they cross paths.
Traveling back to Earth using the Astrophage-derived fuel Rocky gave him, Grace soon realizes that Taumoeba has evolved. Even worse, they’ve adapted to eat through the containers Grace kept them in. These vessels are made of xenonite, the alien substance Rocky’s ship is made of, so the Taumoeba will consume not only the Astrophage-derived fuel on Rocky’s trip home, but the vessel itself.
So Grace has a decision to make: return to Earth knowing that he left Rocky to die, or find his mate in deep space and help him return to his homeworld, Erid.
Grace surprises no one and chooses the latter. Grace sends Taumoeba back to Earth with the space probes his ship was equipped with and sets off to locate Rocky. Sure enough, Grace finds her spider-like alien companion, explains the situation, and promises to get Rocky home safe and sound.
In the Amazon film’s final minutes, we learn that the probes have made it back to Earth – now gripped by icy conditions due to the Sun’s slow waning – with Taumoeba intact. There, Eva Stratt, who hired Ryland Grace in the first place, has assembled the probes and is preparing to unleash the Taumoeba on the Astrophage and thus save our star.
Meanwhile, we watch Erid Grace wake up in a biodome – one forged from xenonite and parts of his starship – and is greeted by Rocky at her front door. After the pair take a stroll along one of Erid’s beaches and discuss whether it is time for Grace to return to Earth, he makes the decision to stay before leaving to teach science to a group of Eridian school children.
Is there a mid-credits or post-credits scene in Project Hail Mary?
No, there is not a scene for credits to stick to. As I always say, you should sit through a movie’s closing crawl to appreciate everyone who worked on it. But then again, I’m not one of your parents, so you do.
Will there be a project Hail Mary 2?
No. Project Hi Mary is a near-perfect adaptation of sci-fi author Andy Weir’s book of the same name. That novel is a standalone story that has no sequel to date. In short: unless Weir writes a follow-up book (and I don’t know why he would), there won’t be one Project Hail Mary 2.
That’s not to say that there aren’t more Weir-penned books that have received or will receive the big screen retelling.
For one, The MartianThe 2016 sci-fi film, starring Matt Damon, was the first of Weir’s three major literary works to be reimagined for the silver screen. It was of course followed by the 2026s Project Hi Mary.
The only book not yet adapted is thus Artemispublished in 2017. Project Hi Mary directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have already expressed interest in helming a film adaptation of that novel (per The Hollywood Reporter). In the same article, the duo say there is already a “delicious” script ready to be shot when the time comes.
For his part, Weir told Den of Geek that he’d like to see Jenna Ortega play its main character, Jazz, but it’s unclear if his wish will come true. Weir says a studio would have to throw a ton of cash at him, plus Lord and Miller, to realize their vision for Artemis. So don’t hold your breath, it will be done in a little while.
For more PHM coverage, find out how many times Rocky was designed before his final look was achieved Project Hi Mary. After that, get the lowdown on Project Hi Mary filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s favorite sci-fi films – one of which is a John Carpenter film you’ve probably never heard of.
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