Hail mary's epic cut: from four hours to a thrilling runtime
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, arrived in Spanish cinemas this week, clocking in at a substantial 156 minutes—a commitment of over two and a half hours for audiences. But the final cut represents a dramatic reduction from the film’s initial, sprawling form, a detail revealed by the directors during a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
The mammoth early drafts
Lord and Miller, known for their meticulous approach to filmmaking, routinely conduct numerous test screenings with friends, family, and industry colleagues. Project Hail Mary, adapted from Andy Weir’s novel, proved particularly ambitious. “It was a massive movie,” explained Chris Miller, revealing the film began life at a staggering four hours in length. This initial behemoth was then trimmed to a still-lengthy three hours and forty-five minutes before being shown to fellow filmmakers.
Christopher Miller described the early screenings as “a little embarrassing,” while Phil Lord admitted the feedback they received spurred a significant overhaul. “We just cut it a lot,” Lord stated, acknowledging the process involved multiple iterations. Nearly two hours of footage were ultimately excised—a considerable sacrifice, even for experienced filmmakers. “You never know how scenes are going to play,” Lord added. “To us, it all seemed charming, but some of those charming things just didn’t land.”
The relentless pruning didn’t stop there. “Then we had to keep chipping away at it until we got to two and a half hours,” Miller elaborated. The result of this rigorous editing process proved fruitful: the first official test screening was deemed a success.
The film's final statistics reveal a $200 million budget for a 2 hour and 37-minute adventure, science fiction, and mystery film. While the runtime might seem long to some, the journey from a four-hour epic to a streamlined, compelling narrative underscores the directors’ commitment to crafting a truly engaging cinematic experience.