Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: Alien Jazz Hands for PROJECT HAIL MARY
Date: March 25, 2026
Hosts: Rebecca Schinsky & Vanessa Diaz

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the movie adaptation of Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, Project Hail Mary. With Jeff O’Neal out, Book Riot’s Rebecca Schinsky is joined by managing editor Vanessa Diaz for an energetic, spoiler-rich discussion of the film: its strengths, emotional impact, adaptation choices, performances (especially Ryan Gosling’s), the practical effects, and the movie’s place in the current landscape of book-to-film adaptations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Personal Histories with Project Hail Mary

• Vanessa hadn’t finished the book, started the acclaimed audiobook on Rebecca’s recommendation, and came to the movie with only partial familiarity (04:30).

  “I haven't actually read any of the Andy Weir books… I did start [the audiobook], but had some travel. Anyway, stuff happened that I wasn't able to, like, get through it.” – Vanessa (04:37)

• Rebecca loved the audiobook, had read the book when it launched, and re-read for their other podcast:

  “It was a secret in the book at the time, like, that Rocky existed…But he's in all the promotional material for the movie, and I totally understand why they did that… I think it was really smart as a marketing choice.” – Rebecca (06:03)

Moviegoing Experience & Initial Impressions

• Both hosts had raucous, emotional moviegoing experiences, with audience participation and collective tears.
• Vanessa remarks on the adaptation’s cinematic beauty:

  “I was straight bawling in this theater over this little space crustacean… Ryan Gosling is a really fun actor. I thought he nailed this role. And the… beautiful cinematography. Like, I was stunned. I'm so glad I saw it in IMAX…” – Vanessa (09:18) “It's one of the most fun moviegoing experiences I've had in a bit.” – Vanessa (10:07)

• Rebecca found the movie “a blast…surprisingly moving.”

  “It still really filled me with suspense and feeling and just really remarkable—the bond that they're able to portray between a man and an alien rock puppet.” – Rebecca (10:34)

Casting & Performances

• Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace is widely praised.

  “Gosling, I think, is just perfectly cast…He can sort of mug for the camera. It's a little more overtly silly…And, man, does it work.” – Rebecca (12:26) “He played. It looks like he had a lot of fun.” – Vanessa (21:08)

• Sandra Hüller’s role as Strat is called a revelation:

  “She does have that ability to be incredibly, like, stern and reserved. But these little…just the way she would deliver some of the lines kind of through the side of her mouth…she was a revelation.” – Vanessa (14:16)

• Lionel Boyce (from The Bear) as Carl is a comic highlight:

  “He gets some really good one liners. And I was reading that he wasn't supposed to have nearly as big of a role, but once they got him on set, the two of them had such a good time. So this is just like buddy comedies all the way up and down.” – Rebecca (15:13)

• Memorable Anecdote
  Vanessa met Ryan Gosling in her rental car days:

  “He hugged me for, like, a really long time. And not in a creepy way. He was just being nice…” – Vanessa (16:38)

Practical Effects & Rocky the Alien

• The practical effects, especially Rocky being a physical puppet rather than CGI, are a huge success:

  “Most of this with practical effects. Rocky is a puppet. Rocky is not a CGI character.” – Rebecca (10:44) “James Ortiz is the puppeteer…because of the bond they formed [with Gosling], Ortiz ended up being Rocky’s voice in the film.” – Rebecca (11:22)

• Heavy use of practical effects made the acting and the alien bromance more tangible:

  “I think it made the bromance of it all, or just that build of relationship, so much more rich and layered.” – Vanessa (12:19)

Adaptation Choices: Book vs. Movie

• Narrative Perspective:
  Book uses first-person narration and memory flashbacks; the film largely avoids voiceover.

  “There’s really minimal voiceover in the movie, which was one of my biggest questions, like, how are they going to do this? … That makes it feel different from The Martian.” – Rebecca (17:00)

• Simplified Science:
  Major science details are streamlined for accessibility.

  “I thought it was kind of smart to pull it back and like really just focus on the top line science of the story…” – Rebecca (22:38) “As accessible as he…Andy Weir tries to make that science, it's a lot of science…There was so much science and I knew there would be because I had listened to some podcasts to prepare. But I as accessible as he…Andy weird tries to make that science, it's a lot of science." – Vanessa (22:15)

• Gene subplot:
  The book has a genetic compatibility subplot omitted from the movie.

  “Only like 1 in 7,000 people on Earth have a gene that allows them to survive this induced coma…Strat has tested everybody, so she also knows that Ryland Grace has the gene…” – Rebecca (19:42)
  “That’s a good—like, she just really reads him in the book. And where in the movie she's like, okay, you got to tell…Doesn’t matter. These nice men are gonna inject you with this. And you're going.” – Rebecca (20:26)

• Structure & Ending:
  Multiple possible false endings, mirroring the book’s structure:

  “It feels like there are several places that the movie could end.” – Rebecca (26:02) “There were at least five points…when he nose dives into the spaceship. I was like, and now it's over. No, it's not.” – Vanessa (26:53)

• The Final Scene:
  Both book and movie end with Grace as a teacher on Rocky’s world:

  “That is how the book ends. In the book, you don’t get to see Strat back on Earth…we just assume that the info got back, Earth is gonna take care of itself, and that Grace is gonna live out his days being a science teacher informing a whole new planet…” – Rebecca (28:40)

Themes: Friendship, Hope, Empathy

• Across the board, the highlight is the bond between Ryland Grace and Rocky:

  “It's not the science and practical problem solving that will save us. It's the friends we make along the way.” – Rebecca (31:50) “There is a bond. Even if it does defy, like, all the traditional ways in which we would define what mean means things to us. Like, I was. I don't know, my soul, like, needed that. I was very into the idea of it.” – Vanessa (31:38)

• The movie’s hopeful tone is noted as timely and refreshing.

  “I don't really want to think any more critically about this movie experience because it felt so good, and it's just hopeful in a way that I felt like we really need this right now.” – Rebecca (29:05)

• Empathy and the value of connection—even with "very non-human" aliens—are praised:

  “Such an achievement…that idea that you find that humanity is not…that—like the ideas of empathy and connection…we ascribe is so unique…is not; this could be something that you feel for something besides humanity…” – Vanessa (30:21)

Humor & Memorable Quotes

• Rocky’s adorable, child-like communication carried over from book to film:

  “Amaze, amaze, amaze.” — Rocky (book & film, referenced at multiple points) “Fist, my bump!” — Rocky (36:16)
  “‘Not get enough sleep?’…‘Grumpy, stupid, silly’” – Rebecca referencing Rocky’s lines (36:23)

• Physical comedy:

  “He was so physically comedic…he's about to get his ass tackled…it looks like he had a lot of fun.” – Vanessa (21:08)

• On Ryland's “slutty little glasses”:

  “The friend I was with leaned over and she was like, slutty little glasses.” – Rebecca (21:51)

• On names:

  “Ryland Grace absolutely sounds like a name that would have been plucked from one of our previous adaptation experiences. And that being Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us: Lily Blossom Bloom.” – Vanessa (08:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:30] – Vanessa’s history with Project Hail Mary
• [06:03] – Rebecca on the Rocky reveal, marketing, and audiobook experience
• [09:18] – Vanessa's emotional reaction to the film
• [10:44] – Discussion of practical effects and Rocky as a puppet
• [14:16] – Sandra Hüller as Strat
• [17:00] – Thoughts on minimal voiceover and character interiority in the adaptation
• [19:42] – The gene subplot and Ryland’s recruitment (book vs. film)
• [22:38] – Science in book vs. movie; accessibility to viewers
• [26:02] – Audience’s reaction to the movie’s multiple endings
• [28:40] – How the final scene mirrors the book
• [30:21] – Reflection on empathy and friendship with Rocky
• [36:16] – Rocky’s signature lines and humor
• [39:30+] – Awards speculation and genre in the Oscars discussion

Takeaways & Closing Thoughts

• Project Hail Mary’s adaptation is an emotional, hopeful, and visually stunning crowd-pleaser, benefitting from smart adaptation, strong performances, and a genuine sense of fun and connection.
• The bromance between Grace and Rocky, bolstered by practical effects and clever writing, is the film’s heart and emotional core.
• While some scientific detail and structural nuance from the book are streamlined, the essential themes, humor, and major plot beats remain.
• Both hosts agree: the film (and book) are highly recommended—especially for viewers in need of a feel-good, big-hearted adventure.

Notable Quotes

• Rebecca: “It’s not the science and practical problem solving that will save us. It’s the friends we make along the way.” [31:50]
• Vanessa: “I just think…this is like one of those crown jewels that will go in [Gosling’s] filmography.” [38:36]
• Rebecca: “If you liked the movie, I think you will like the book. You can just let some of the science wash over you.” [33:13]

For more in-depth book discussion, check out the Zero to Well Read podcast episode on Project Hail Mary.

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