Ryan Gosling Faces Aliens in Sci-Fi Film 'Project Hail Mary'

UC Berkeley astronomer Gibor Basri discusses the plausibility of the movie's alien encounters and the likelihood of advanced life in the galaxy.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 2:02am

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An extreme close-up of shattered glass reflecting bright studio lighting, capturing the high-stakes, glamorous tone of the sci-fi film 'Project Hail Mary'.The sci-fi thriller 'Project Hail Mary' explores the dramatic possibility of humanity's first contact with advanced alien life.Berkeley Today

In the sci-fi film 'Project Hail Mary,' astronaut Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling, encounters three different alien lifeforms, including an advanced civilization from the star 40 Eridani. Basri, a professor emeritus of astronomy at UC Berkeley, discusses the scientific realism of the movie's alien premise and the potential for life in the galaxy.

Why it matters

The portrayal of alien life in science fiction films can shape public perception about the likelihood of encountering extraterrestrial civilizations. Basri's expertise provides insight into the scientific plausibility of the movie's alien encounters and the current understanding of the conditions necessary for life to arise elsewhere in the Milky Way.

The details

In the movie, Grace joins forces with an alien named Rocky, from the star 40 Eridani, to stop a destructive alien microbe called Astrophage that is dimming the sun. Basri says the premise of single-celled alien lifeforms is reasonably likely, given the optimistic assumptions about the ease of life evolving. However, he notes the movie's depiction of the Astrophage's ability to consume vast amounts of stellar energy is scientifically implausible. Basri also discusses the challenges of encountering an advanced, technologically capable alien civilization, given the vast distances and timescales involved.

  • The movie 'Project Hail Mary' is based on the 2020 novel of the same name by Andy Weir.
  • Basri, who taught in the astronomy department at UC Berkeley for 35 years, recently published a perspective piece in the journal Nature Astronomy about the potential for life in the galaxy.

The players

Ryland Grace

The main character in 'Project Hail Mary,' an astronaut played by Ryan Gosling who encounters several alien lifeforms.

Rocky

An advanced alien civilization from the star 40 Eridani that Grace allies with to stop the destructive Astrophage.

Gibor Basri

A professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in star formation and brown dwarfs and has conducted research on distant planets.

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What they’re saying

“I liked it. I had never thought of the book as a comedy, really, but the movie version was light-hearted. A New York Times review said that it's too light-hearted, but at the end, I'm like, no, we need that now.”

— Gibor Basri, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy

“If you make the most optimistic assumptions about how easy it is for life to evolve and you assume that single-celled life typically lasts for billions of years, then you get a very large number of planets that are populated with single-celled life in the galaxy - billions and billions.”

— Gibor Basri, Professor Emeritus of Astronomy

What’s next

Basri noted that finding a second example of life, such as on the moons Enceladus or Europa, would provide crucial evidence that single-celled life is common throughout the galaxy. He also said that determining the average lifespan of technologically advanced civilizations will be key to understanding the likelihood of encountering another intelligent species.

The takeaway

While the movie 'Project Hail Mary' takes creative liberties with the science, it highlights the ongoing scientific debate around the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. Basri's insights suggest that single-celled organisms may be relatively common, but encountering an advanced alien civilization remains an immense challenge given the vast distances and timescales involved.