Brandon Sanderson Reviews Project Hail Mary: Did He Like It or Hate It?

Credits: Youtube/Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson finally watched the latest Project Hail Mary movie, and he’s loving every bit of it. The author, who read Andy Weir’s novel years ago, claims it is a close adaptation of the source material (via his YouTube channel):

This is a top-tier adaptation. They took the book, and they seem to know expertly how to adapt it for a more general audience. It’s a little less sciency. It’s a little more focused on relationship, which I think is a good move. It’s paced really well despite the fact that it’s a pretty long film. It’s visually quite impressive. It’s fun.

Sanderson highly recommends fans go and see it on the big screen, raving about how it’s worth the theater experience. He also noted how it incorporated some elements from classic science fiction films found in the ‘80s and ‘90s, although enhanced with modern special effects. Overall, he called it an excellent film and gave a verdict of 10/10.

Brandon Sanderson Prefers Project Hail Mary Over The Martian

Brandon Sanderson / Credits: @BrandSanderson on YouTube

Sanderson has always been expressive of his love for Project Hail Mary. In fact, he talked about it in a Reddit comment and even compared it with The Martian, another novel from Weir. In the post, the Mistborn author claimed that the said book was right up his alley:

I liked it more than The Martian (which is great.) I think this might be because of the ways it plays into my personal tastes, though. It was more science-fictiony, and used some fun literary devices that I tend to enjoy.

He specifically mentioned that he’s a fan of the popular trope where the main character wakes up in a room with no memories whatsoever. Interestingly, Sanderson predicted that Project Hail Mary might not become as successful as The Martian since the latter’s concept is much easier for the general viewers to digest.

In his 2021 review of Project Hail Mary, Sanderson remarked, “This is more a Brandon book…,” suggesting it closely aligns with the kind of stories he writes, explaining why it resonates so strongly with him. He added that readers who enjoy his work are also likely to appreciate Weir’s novel.

Is There a Project Hail Mary Sequel? New Adaptation Confirmed

After receiving critical praise, there’s only one logical question most fans would have in mind: Are we getting a sequel?

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Weir confirmed he has lots of ideas for a follow-up story, although he believes they aren’t good enough yet to move forward with. He’s also in the process of releasing a new book that has nothing to do with any of his previous works. As upsetting as this sounds, fans shouldn’t worry too much as there’s a confirmed new project on the horizon.

VR Games Showcase recently released a first-look video of Project Hail Mary: Journey Among The Stars, a new story in the form of a mixed-reality video game, soon to be available on VR headsets later in 2026.

This new project is pivotal to the development of Project Hail Mary as a franchise, as it capitalizes on the film’s current popularity and gives it a boost in engagement, while also setting up for a property expansion.

Did you like the movie adaptation? Let us know in the comments!

Project Hail Mary is now showing in theaters worldwide.