Project Hail Mary directors on the “embarrassing” nearly four-hour original cut
At two-and-a-half hours long, Project Hail Mary is already on the longer side, but the sci-fi flick was originally a lot longer. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller recently stopped by the Happy Sad Confused podcast to reveal that they showed a nearly four-hour cut to friends and… well, it wasn’t great.
The Four-Hour Cut Was Embarrassing
“Our first official test screening went great, but we do a lot of earlier screenings for friends and family and other filmmakers and writers,” Miller explained. “This movie was massive. When we finally got the assembly cut down to under four hours long, we subjected some filmmaker friends of ours to a three hour and 45 minute cut of the movie, which was embarrassing.“
Lord quickly added that the feedback was unanimous in one regard: “Get it way shorter.“
He added, “You just don’t know how the scenes are going to land with an audience. We thought everything was charming, but some of those charming things didn’t land. It made it really easy to get it down to three hours.“
All About Project Hail Mary
“Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship with no recollection of who he is or how he got there,” reads the official synopsis. “As his memory slowly returns, he soon discovers he must solve the riddle behind a mysterious substance that’s causing the sun to die out. As details of the mission unravel, he calls on his scientific training and sheer ingenuity — but he may not have to do it alone.“
In addition to Gosling, the film also stars Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub, and more. James Ortiz serves as the voice and lead puppeteer of Rocky, an alien Ryland encounters on his journey.
We Loved It
The hype machine has been running high on this one, but our own Chris Bumbray thinks it’s well deserved. “While it runs a hefty 156 minutes, the running time zips along, with Lord and Miller having a good handle on pace,” he wrote. “It’s really an impeccably made movie, with everyone involved doing superlative work, including Daniel Pemberton, who contributes a strong score. It’s the kind of movie that deserves to become the next Sinners, so hopefully audiences will give it a shot. It’s upbeat and leaves you walking out of the theater feeling optimistic — which I think all of us could use in these rather somber times.” You can check out the rest of his review right here. Also, be sure to let us know what you thought of the film as well!
A Sequel?
Project Hail Mary has been doing great at the box office, having already grossed over $170 million worldwide after just a week of release. Combined with the rave reviews, the studio has naturally been thinking… sequel. Andy Weir, who wrote the novel on which the film is based, has reportedly been kicking around some ideas for a continuation, but it remains to be seen whether it will actually happen. Personally, not everything needs a sequel.
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