What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedProject Hail Mary
Phil Lord · Film · 2026
If you loved Project Hail Mary, start with Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) — a book from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Project Hail Mary across media.
What hooked you in Project Hail Mary was the way high-stakes scientific problem solving transforms into a deeply intimate human connection.
Start with the source
Books on the same thread
The Martian
Andy Weir · Book · 2015
Shares 2 threads with Project Hail Mary: Scientific Problem Solving, Hard Science Fiction.
If the resourceful, step-by-step scientific problem solving of Project Hail Mary kept you reading, this survival story offers the exact same brand of ingenious, isolation-driven technical mastery.
Arrival
Ted Chiang · Book · 2016
Shares a thread with Project Hail Mary: Hard Science Fiction.
Just as Project Hail Mary hinges on the challenge of communicating with the unknown, this collection explores how the structure of language fundamentally reshapes our perception of reality.
Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy
Martha Wells · Book · 2025
Explores: found family, artificial intelligence sentience, anti-corporate rebellion.
The unexpected, life-changing bond found in Project Hail Mary is mirrored here as artificial intelligence and human crew members navigate a hostile environment through newfound, fragile cooperation.
The Three-Body Problem
Cixin Liu · Book
Shares 2 threads with Project Hail Mary: Hard science fiction, First contact.
Like the existential threat facing the sun in Project Hail Mary, this narrative forces humanity to confront a looming scientific catastrophe that demands a desperate, collaborative response.
Series on the same thread
3 Body Problem
David Benioff · Series · 2024
Shares 2 threads with Project Hail Mary: First Contact, Hard Science Fiction.
You will recognize the same urgent scientific mystery and existential dread found in Project Hail Mary, elevated here by the complex dynamics of friends facing an impossible cosmic puzzle.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
Chuck Lorre · Series · 2026
Explores: existential crisis, accidental hero, quantum mechanics.
While more satirical, this journey captures the same essence of an accidental hero thrust into a reality-altering scenario where they must rely on scientific logic to restore order.
Pluribus
Vince Gilligan · Series · 2025
Explores: Existential dread, The cost of happiness, Reluctant hero.
This story flips the existential stakes of Project Hail Mary, focusing on a reluctant hero whose specific, unconventional perspective becomes the only hope for saving the world.
High Potential
Drew Goddard · Series · 2024
Explores: Unlikely Partnerships, Brilliant Outsider, Single Parent.
The partnership between an unlikely pair of brilliant minds in Project Hail Mary finds a grounded counterpart here, where unconventional intellects solve complex problems through their unique collaboration.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Orphans
The Light and Tragic Company · Podcast · 2025
This audio drama echoes the survival-against-the-odds intensity of Project Hail Mary, emphasizing the emotional resonance of strangers forming bonds while drifting through an unforgiving and harsh universe.
Ologies with Alie Ward
Alie Ward · Podcast · 2026
Explores: intellectual curiosity, scientific wonder, human obsession.
If the scientific wonder that drives Project Hail Mary is what you crave, this podcast provides that same infectious curiosity, breaking down complex phenomena with charm and deep intellectual rigor.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Project Hail Mary based on a book?
Yes, Project Hail Mary is based on the novel of the same name. The 2026 film adaptation directed by Phil Lord follows the story of Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up on a spaceship to save the sun from a mysterious substance.
What is the premise of Project Hail Mary?
Project Hail Mary follows Ryland Grace, a science teacher who awakens on a spaceship with amnesia. He must recover his memories and use his scientific knowledge to solve a solar extinction event, eventually forming an unexpected friendship during his mission to save Earth.
Who directed the movie Project Hail Mary?
The 2026 film adaptation of Project Hail Mary was directed by Phil Lord. The movie depicts the journey of Ryland Grace as he attempts to save the planet from a dying sun while navigating his mission in deep space.
Does Project Hail Mary involve saving the planet?
Yes, the central plot of Project Hail Mary involves Ryland Grace attempting to prevent the extinction of life on Earth. He must solve the riddle of a mysterious substance causing the sun to die out while he is light years away from home.