How 'Project Hail Mary' Rocky Puppeteer Brought the Alien to Life

When Ryan Gosling interacts on screen with his alien buddy, which he does for more than half of “Project Hail Mary,” he wasn’t staring at a green screen as cameras rolled. Instead, he was playing off of an elaborate puppet manned by James Ortiz,

Project Hail Mary explores unique forms of life in space – 5 essential reads on searching for aliens that look nothing like life on Earth

“Project Hail Mary,” the movie adaptation to Andy Weir’s 2021 novel about a science teacher attempting to save the Earth from sun-eating microbes, was released in March 2026 to stellar ratings from critics and audiences alike.