Project Hail Mary co-director Christopher Miller has moved to clarify recent comments in which he said there isn’t a single green screen shot in the entire movie.
The Ryan Gosling sci-fi film, due out March 20, is based on The Martian author Andy Weir’s hard-science novel of the same name, and revolves around an astronaut who encounters an alien while trying to save Earth.
In interviews with the press, Miller, who directed Project Hail Mary alongside collaborator Phil Lord, said there is no green screen at all, the ship was built as a set, and the alien character, called Rocky, was actually in the scenes as a puppet. This, Miller said, helps make Project Hail Mary feel real.
Those comments sparked a mixed reaction, with some expressing disbelief, especially when you consider Project Hail Mary spends much of its runtime in space. “They actually shot in space,” joked author Zoë Rose Bryant.
Now, Miller has issued a clarification statement, taking to X / Twitter to say “no green screen” doesn’t mean “no VFX.”
“There were, in fact, thousands of VFX shots in the film (2018!),” Miller went on to say. “Green screen is sometimes used in lieu of building sets or figuring out locations/lighting in advance, which can be noticeable if not done carefully, and is something we didn’t want to do. We built the entire interior of the Hail Mary ship — but within the ship, there were still wire and puppeteer removals and ceiling replacements, etc.
“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 truer 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. And other great work from many more. It really does take a village and we had the best of the best on our side.”
So, Miller was correct in saying no green screen was used, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t visual effects in Project Hail Mary, which some had taken it to mean.
One high-profile fan of the approach taken for Project Hail Mary is Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, who praised Miller and Lord in a social media post. “What Phil and Chris did here, the amount of PRACTICAL sets and effects and puppets is just so beautiful to see,” he said.
What Phil and Chris did here- the amount of PRACTICAl sets and effects and puppets is just so beautiful to see- so inspiring to hold- it’s a goal- and aspiration and a commitment. Specially now- so much- now. https://t.co/7GjAdUC2wA
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 4, 2026
The first trailer for Project Hail Mary was released at the end of June last year — and it blew up online, garnering over 400 million views in a single week. At the time, that was a record for a film that was not a sequel or a remake.
Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as a professor, scientist, and astronaut who wakes up one day on a spaceship with no recollection of how he got there and a new mission that will put him at the center of saving humanity from a catastrophic event. Sandra Huller and Milana Vayntrub star alongside Gosling, who also produced the project. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse fame have teamed up once again for their first directed film in 12 years following 2014’s 22 Jump Street.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
