On Monday, as Commander Reid Wiseman, onboard the Artemis 2 spaceship, described the moon, NASA’s mission control replied, “Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!” quoting Rocky, the alien engineer/ Ryland Grace’s (Ryan Gosling) best buddy from Project Hail Mary. For a film that just released a month ago, Project Hail Mary’s cultural impact has already left an indelible mark. Even though the science fiction film is based on Andy Weir’s best-selling novel of the same name, no one could have predicted that the highs of the story would translate into the cinematic format as well. At what point did the makers realise that the book, with all its dense scientific exposition, would lend itself well to a visual adaptation? “Honestly, it was the moment I read ‘written by Andy Weir’ on the cover of the book,” says producer Aditya Sood with a smile. He earlier collaborated with the author on adapting his debut novel, The Martian. He continues to elaborate on his most favourite aspect of the story, “There are so many films about people stranded in space and feeling lonely. But Project Hail Mary is about someone who feels lonely on Earth, and then he goes to space and makes a friend.”

Aditya Sood is no stranger to blockbuster filmmaking, with titles like Deadpool 1 and 2, The Martian, and the Spider-Verse animated films to his credit. However, the producer admits that taking on Project Hail Mary was an entirely different beast. He says, “There were a couple of creative and production challenges. Creatively, there were many films set in space, so we wanted to be unique. As far as production challenges are concerned, there was Rocky.” Rocky belongs to an alien species that could be described as sentient rock-like beings with multiple arms. Naturally, it was a challenge for the makers to bring Rocky to life. “Pretty early on, Chris and Miller (Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller) were particular about using practical effects for Rocky. And then we also created massive sets for the spaceship. We made a vertical version of the same ship to shoot the zero gravity scenes.” He then adds, “Halfway through the film, our cinematographer Greg Fraiser and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert said this was the most complicated film they have worked on, and they both worked on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films.”  

While the working relationship between a producer and a director could make or break a film, Aditya says he was lucky on that front. “I’ve known Chris since we were both six, and Phil since we were in college. We have a working relationship of seven years,” he says with a smile. The trio worked together on both the Spider-Verse animated films and is currently working on the third and final installment, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Speaking about how their background in animation helped their live-action work in Project Hail Mary, Aditya says, “The subtle behaviours Rocky does in the film, which help you feel like he is a living, breathing character, were all from their animation experience.” Aditya explains that the primary reason to opt for a puppet to bring Rocky to life was to enhance Ryan Gosling’s performance. “Ryan (Gosling) would be acting by himself for most of the film, and he wanted a scene partner. James Ortiz, the puppeteer and voice actor of Rocky worked with Ryan to create a chemistry, which we wouldn’t have been able to replicate with CGI,” he says, before cautiously adding, “That being said, 50 per cent of the film is practical effects and 50 per cent is CGI and the best part is no one remembers which one is which.”

One of the most oft-repeated positive responses to Project Hail Mary is how it brings back a sense of hope and optimism to big spectacle filmmaking. Agreeing with the analysis, Aditya says, “Chris, Phil, and I used to say we want to make films and series that are at least 51 per cent optimistic. Chris and Phil always say that one of their charges as filmmakers is to show representations of what goodness can be in the world. All these ideas were already in the Project Hail Mary book, so we naturally gravitated towards it.”

As a self-proclaimed fan of science fiction films, Aditya Sood disagrees with the notion that science fiction films only cater to a niche audience. “Seven of the top ten highest-grossing films of all time are science fiction, from Star Wars to Avatar, E.T., and Gravity.” From a producer’s perspective, he also comments on the general notion that science fiction complicates the production pipeline. “Science fiction is an incredibly cinematic genre. Science fiction is a complex and cerebral genre. The number one thing I look for when selecting a science fiction script is the most emotional. You see it in films like The Martian and Interstellar as well. Having the most human relationship at its centre will make it the most emotional.” Before signing off, the producer reveals that he is in early talks to make a sequel to Cocaine Bear and is also currently planning to adapt Andy Weir’s second science fiction novel, Artemis. “Artemis takes place on the moon, so once we figure out how to simulate one-sixth gravity, we will start shooting.”