Hail Mary movie
Definition
An informal or shorthand reference to 'Project Hail Mary' (2026), an American science fiction adventure film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, adapted from Andy Weir's 2021 novel. It stars Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace, a science teacher-turned-astronaut who awakens with amnesia on a spaceship, piecing together his mission to save Earth from a solar dimming catastrophe with the help of an unlikely alien ally.
Colloquially, a high-stakes, last-chance film project likened to a 'Hail Mary pass' in American football—a desperate, improbable gamble that might just pay off.
Examples
After bombing at the box office for years, the studio pinned their hopes on that Hail Mary movie with the amnesiac astronaut.
Ryan Gosling's desperate space odyssey in the Hail Mary movie had critics calling it a cosmic touchdown.
Forget football; the real Hail Mary movie plot twist is befriending a five-limbed alien to save humanity.
I binged the Hail Mary movie trailer ten times—now I'm ready to launch my own interstellar science fair project.