Adapting a detailed sci-fi novel into a cinematic masterpiece is a mammoth task. As Phil Lord and Chris Miller set out to bring Andy Weir‘s ambitious sci-fi adventure, ‘Project Hail Mary,’ to life, they amassed so much footage that the initial assembly cut ballooned into an exceptionally long version.
But balancing complex astrophysics with deep emotional beats proved incredibly delicate. Before the official release, the director duo screened the first draft for a circle of trusted filmmaker friends. The Ryan Gosling-starring project had to endure extremely harsh criticism, forcing the directors to completely rip apart in the editing room.
Twice The Length Of A Normal Movie
Adapting best-selling author Andy Weir’s work into a feature-length film can present its own challenges. Not only does the novel span multiple genres, but it is also full of humor and deep emotional storytelling that can be hard to adapt to film.
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During the filming and editing of ‘Project Hail Mary,’ the directors found they had too much high-quality footage to lose. Their first assembly cut resulted in a film approximately three hours and forty-five minutes long, close to the four-hour mark.
Trying to maintain the scale of the source material, Phil Lord and Chris Miller kept all its elements, including the scientific explanation, several flashbacks, and the developing relationship between the main character, Ryland Grace, and his extraterrestrial companion, Rocky.
Although the directors approved most of the scenes in the film’s first cut, they understood that length could be a significant problem for the general audience. Therefore, the filmmakers organized screenings for their friends who are filmmakers, writers, and industry professionals to get feedback before proceeding with more extensive test screenings.
Test Screenings Revealed What Needed To Change
Before they could proceed with extensive test runs, Phil Lord and Chris Miller had already received a definite answer: their film should be much shorter. Of course, hearing the direct criticism was hard, as the duo liked many scenes and could not bear the thought of removing them.
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“This movie was massive. 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,” Miller revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
At the same time, the feedback offered valuable insights into how first-time viewers experienced the film. It helped the directors distinguish between the moments that genuinely resonated with audiences and those that seemed effective only because the creative team had spent substantial time on the project.
With that knowledge, the editing process became swifter and more focused. First, the filmmakers shortened the runtime to three hours, then kept reducing it over the next few months until reaching the current theatrical runtime of two hours and thirty-six minutes.
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