Project Hail Mary Directors Reveal Their Embarrassing Nearly Four-Hour First Cut

So, 'Project Hail Mary' is officially epic, clocking in at two and a half hours—and if you think that's long, the original cut was, well, insane. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have been spilling the behind-the-scenes chaos, and let's just say, getting to the current runtime was a journey.

The Four-Hour Monster Cut

Lord and Miller showed up on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast and basically admitted their first version of the film was the definition of 'too much movie.' Miller said, 'When we finally got the assembly cut down to under four hours long, we subjected some filmmaker friends of ours to a three hour and 45 minute cut of the movie, which was embarrassing.'

Unsurprisingly, the private test audience had exactly one piece of advice: 'Get it way shorter.'

Lord summed up their learning curve: you just don't really know which scenes will actually hit unless people are watching it cold. Apparently, they thought every scene was charming, but the audience (politely) disagreed. Cutting down to a still-hefty three hours suddenly didn't seem so tough once they'd endured the extra-long version.

What 'Project Hail Mary' Is Actually About

If you haven't been following (or just need a refresher), here's what you need to know:

• Premise: Ryland Grace, a science teacher, wakes up alone on a spaceship with total amnesia. As he pieces together his memory, he realizes he's stuck with the small task of figuring out why the sun is dying—no pressure there.
• The Mission: Ryland leans on his science skills to unravel a cosmic mystery, but (minor spoiler in the official synopsis) he turns out not to be quite as alone as he first thought.
• The Cast: Ryan Gosling leads, with Sandra Hüller, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub along for the ride. One of the major highlights? James Ortiz voices and puppeteers Rocky, a memorable alien Ryland encounters.

Is It Worth the Hype?

Critics have been unusually positive. Our own Chris Bumbray summed it up best:

'While it runs a hefty 156 minutes, the running time zips along, with Lord and Miller having a good handle on pace. It’s really an impeccably made movie, with everyone involved doing superlative work, including Daniel Pemberton, who contributes a strong score. It’s upbeat and leaves you walking out of the theater feeling optimistic—which I think all of us could use in these rather somber times.'

Basically, yes, it's long—but it actually moves, the cast brings it, and the technical credits (especially the score) are kind of fantastic. If you're looking for a sci-fi film that justifies its length and ends on an optimistic note, this is one of the rare ones.

Should You Expect a Sequel?

Here's the reality: 'Project Hail Mary' has already pulled in more than $170 million worldwide after just a week. Studios pay a lot of attention to those numbers, so honestly, discussions about a sequel are already bubbling. Andy Weir, who wrote the original book, apparently has some sequel ideas percolating, but there's nothing concrete yet. My take? Just because a movie kills it at the box office doesn't mean it needs a follow-up. Sometimes it's okay to leave well enough alone.