‘Project Hail Mary’ Is the Most Complex Film Ever Made by Its Crew, Says Director Chris Miller

Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters and has already made $300M globally.

According to director Chris Miller, Project Hail Mary is described as the most complex film cinematographer Greig Fraser and VFX supervisor Paul Lambert have ever worked on, even after Dune.

The spaceship set for Project Hail Mary was built both vertically and horizontally to simulate different gravity modes, requiring scenes to be shot twice, with the set rotated like a lighthouse and a train car.

Project Hail Mary features 2,018 VFX shots led by Paul Lambert and Mags Sarnowska, with contributions from top studios like Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Speaking to THR, Miller said, “We built the sets for the spaceship vertically and horizontally to represent two different modes of gravity. We had to shoot with the set standing tall like a lighthouse, then turn it on its side like a train car and film the other half of the scenes that way. At one point, cinematographer Greig Fraser and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert said, ‘This is the most complex film we’ve ever worked on, and we just finished making two Dune films.’”

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.

Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory slowly returns, he soon discovers he must solve the riddle behind a mysterious substance that’s causing the sun to die out. As details of the mission unravel, he calls on his scientific training and sheer ingenuity — but he may not have to do it alone.

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 is now in theaters near you.