PROJECT HAIL MARY
Project Hail Mary is a 2021 hard science fiction novel by American writer Andy Weir. It centers on schoolteacher and former biologist Ryland Grace, who wakes up aboard a spacecraft afflicted with amnesia.
Project Hail Mary received generally good reviews and was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel.[1] The unabridged audiobook was read by Ray Porter and won the 2022 Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year.[2]
The book was adapted into a film starring Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller, with Drew Goddard writing (his second Andy Weir adaptation) and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directing.[3] It is scheduled for release on March 20, 2026.[4]
As of January 2026, the book has been featured on the New York Times‘ bestseller list for 28 weeks in a row.[5]
Plot
In the near future, scientists observe the Sun dimming, coinciding with the formation of a dim infrared line from the Sun to Venus, dubbed the Petrova line. As the dimming will cause a catastrophic ice age within 30 years, the world’s governments appoint former European Space Agency administrator Eva Stratt to lead a task force to solve the problem. A space probe sent to investigate Venus discovers that alien microbes were generating the light.
Stratt appoints Ryland Grace, a junior high school teacher and infamous former molecular biologist, to study a sample from the Petrova line. He discovers that it is made up of single-celled organisms that consume electromagnetic radiation, naming it “Astrophage.” After his discovery, Stratt sends him back to his job, but he insists on coming back to continue his research on Astrophage after considering his students’ futures. He determines that Astrophage breeds by absorbing energy from the Sun and carbon dioxide from Venus.
Astrophage has also infected and dimmed nearby stars; one star, Tau Ceti, has resisted the infection. Other scientists design an engine that uses astrophage as rocket fuel. An Astrophage-fueled starship, the Hail Mary, is created to travel to Tau Ceti to investigate its Astrophage resistance. There is only enough time to breed enough Astrophage for a one-way trip, so the mission will return its findings to Earth using unmanned mini-ships called “beetles.” Grace trains the science experts for the mission, but they are killed in an accident shortly before launch. With no time to train a comparably skilled replacement, Stratt forces an unwilling Grace to join the suicide mission. Grace threatens sabotage, so a sedative is administered to her before launch, along with a temporary amnesia-inducing drug.
Years later, Ryland Grace emerges from his coma aboard the Hail Mary with no memory of his identity or situation. Grace finds that his crew members have died en route and gives them a space burial. Hail Mary reaches Tau Ceti and is approached by an alien starship, which Grace names “Blip-A.” The other ship indicates, via a star map sculpture, that it came from 40 Eridani. The ships dock, and Grace develops a system to communicate with the eyeless, spider-like, five-legged alien, whom he names “Rocky.” Rocky, a skilled engineer, has been in the Tau Ceti system for 46 Earth years and is the last survivor of their crew, with the rest having died of radiation sickness. As Eridani is also under threat from Astrophage, Grace and Rocky agree to cooperate.
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REMINDERS OF HIM
Reminders of Him is a 2026 American romantic drama film directed by Vanessa Caswill from a screenplay by Colleen Hoover and Lauren Levine, based on the 2022 novel by Hoover. It stars Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson (in her film debut), Lauren Graham, and Bradley Whitford.
Reminders of Him premiered in Los Angeles on March 9, 2026, and is scheduled to be released in the United States by Universal Pictures on March 13, 2026.
Overview
Cast
- Maika Monroe as Kenna Rowan, an ex-convict who served seven years in prison for a car crash that she was in
- Tyriq Withers as Ledger Ward, a former NFL player and local bar owner
- Rudy Pankow as Scotty Landry, Kenna’s boyfriend, who died in a car crash that Kenna was in
- Lauren Graham as Grace Landry, Scotty’s mother and Diem’s grandmother
- Bradley Whitford as Patrick Landry, Scotty’s father and Diem’s grandfather
- Lainey Wilson as Amy, Kenna’s friend
- Jennifer Robertson as Kenna’s landlord
- Zoe Kosovic as Diem Landry, Kenna and Scotty’s daughter
- Monika Myers as Lady Diana, Kenna’s neighbor
- Hilary Jardine as Ledger’s co-worker
- Nicholas Duvernay as Roman, Ledger’s co-worker
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THE OPTIMIST
A Holocaust survivor harboring a 60-year secret forms a transformative friendship with a troubled teen. Their connection helps both find healing as Herbert finally shares his past with Abby.
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SLANTED
Slanted is a 2025 American body horror–comedy film[1][2] written and directed by Amy Wang. The film stars Shirley Chen as a Chinese-American teenager who undergoes an experimental ethnic modification surgery to try and fit in at school. Mckenna Grace, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Amelie Zilber provide supporting roles. Wang, Mark Ankner, Trevor Wall, and Adel “Future” Nur produced the film through the companies Mountain Top Pictures and Tideline Entertainment.
The film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 8 as part of the Narrative Feature Competition. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 13, 2026.
Premise
Joan Huang, a Chinese-American high schooler, undergoes ethnic modification surgery to appear white in hopes of being voted prom queen. After the surgery, her life is upended by her new appearance.[3]
Cast
- Shirley Chen as Joan Huang
- Mckenna Grace as Jo Hunt
- Fang Du as Roger Huang
- Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Brindha
- Amelie Zilber as Olivia Hammond
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3/9/2026 #ProjectHailMary #RemindersofHim #TheOptimist #Slanted