‘Project Hail Mary’ Shot Without Green Screen, Features 2018 VFX Work by ILM

Project Hail Mary contains not a single green screen shot in the entire movie, say directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The movie focuses on practical filmmaking instead of using green screen backgrounds.

According to reports, the film is a 156-minute sci-fi epic with a reported budget of $248 million. Miller clarified that “no green screen” does not mean “no visual effects.” The film still contains over 2,000 VFX shots (around 2,018 shots).

Green screen is often used instead of building sets or planning lighting and locations, which the filmmakers wanted to avoid.

In an interview with ComicBook.com, Miller said, “What’s fun about the movie is that there’s no green screen in the movie whatsoever. Not a single green or blue screen was used. The whole ship was built as a set from the inside… Rocky was really with us at all times.”

The entire spaceship interior was built as a practical set for filming. A large section of the spaceship exterior was also physically constructed. The alien character Rocky was also present during filming, helping actors perform naturally.

Miller continued, “We built the entire interior of the Hail Mary ship — but within the ship, there were still wire removals, puppeteer removals, ceiling replacements, and more. When Ryan is outside on the hull of the ship, we shot him in front of a black background for space and a shifting-hue background when he was up against the aurora of a planet, which allowed for more natural interactive light on him than a green screen would. The wide space exteriors and spaceship shots were entirely digital and beautifully done by ILM. Rocky was a seamless blend of puppetry and animation from Framestore, along with great work from many others. It really does take a village, and we had the best of the best on our side.”

The film is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, from a screenplay by Drew Goddard, based on Andy Weir’s New York Times best-selling novel.

Here are the plot details for Project Hail Mary:

“Project Hail Mary, filmed for IMAX, is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s (author of The Martian) novel, set in the near future. Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a former schoolteacher turned astronaut, who awakens from a coma to find himself alone on a space station, with no memory of his identity or mission. As his memory gradually returns, he realizes he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to counteract a space phenomenon that has plunged our planet into the early stages of an ice age. As the details of his mission unfold, he must rely on his scientific expertise and resourcefulness. However, he may not be as alone as he initially thought…”

The film also stars Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt, Ryland’s superior; Milana Vayntrub plays Olesya Ilyukhina, Ryland’s deceased Russian crewmate; with Lionel Boyce and Ken Leung also appearing in undisclosed roles.

Produced by Lord, Miller, Gosling, Ken Kao, Amy Pascal, and Andy Weir. The film is a collaboration between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Lord Miller Productions, and Pascal Pictures.

Project Hail Mary will hit theaters and IMAX in the United States on March 20, 2026, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.