I can’t believe it, but somehow it’s already been a decade since La La Land came out. It’s still one of Ryan Gosling’s best movies, as he’s admitted to the world before, there’s just something he wishes he could have done differently. So, in celebration of the movie’s 10th anniversary, Lionsgate decided to do a little retcon.

On behalf of CinemaBlend, I attended a special screening of La La Land on Monday evening at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, CA. Before we watched the film, Lionsgate’s head of marketing Justin Manfredi took to the stage to make an announcement. In his words:

Then, a new poster of La La Land was unveiled. However, it’s quite familiar, except for one thing. Check it out:

The La La Land poster is almost exactly the same except Ryan Gosling’s hand is perfectly straight in the new poster rather than a bit askew. You see, back in 2024 the actor shared that the “moment that haunts [him]” about La La Land was his hand placement in the scene. He said it “just killed the energy” of the poster along with sharing that he nicknamed the whole situation “La La Hand.” Now he’s gotten his way. As Manfredi added at the event:

Funny enough, when Ryan Gosling was promoting Project Hail Mary earlier this year, the actor also redid the poster with Rocky with the straight hand. But, now it’s official for La La Land, too! During the anniversary event, the movie’s choreographer Mandy Moore also came out to talk about the hilariously controversial poster. Here’s what she said:

Oh, it’s too good! I kind of miss the hand now that it’s gone, but it’ll always be there in the movie itself. When Mia and Sebastian do their famous dance to “A Lovely Night,” you can definitely still see Gosling’s original hand placement.

This milestone definitely makes for a good excuse for La La Land rewatch, and Lionsgate is re-releasing the movie in theaters on August 16, too. It’s going to be fun to check it out on the big screen again in between catching up on new 2026 movies. As someone who just had the chance to see Damien Chazelle’s masterpiece with an audience, that ending never, ever gets old.

It didn't take me long after my first viewing of Project Hail Mary to realize I was not going to be able to get enough of Rocky, which is part of the reason why I returned to the theater to rewatch the film more than once after the 2026 movie's release. James Ortiz's delightful character is the gift who keeps on giving, and not just in the actual movie. For the film's theatrical release, we saw funny and adorable video promos featuring the Eridian character. Now that the movie is streaming, Rocky is back for a new video, and this one has me begging Amazon MGM Studios for more.

Timed for the Prime Video streaming arrival of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's book-to-screen adaptation of Andy Weir's sci-fi novel, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios released a 2+ minute video, which shows Rocky watching a clip from Project Hail Mary. Check it out below:

Listen, some people might not appreciate watching Rocky state a lot of the obvious non-stop as he watches himself and his friend Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) on screen, but I'm here for it. I love how perplexed he gets at the part when Grace gets scared by his first sight of Rocky, and I love the gestures Rocky does (including his solo fist-bump and excited feet-taps) while talking. Rocky's body language is one of his best features, so having him visible on screen for the reaction clip is a big part of why it works. I could honestly sit for at least an hour of Rocky watching this movie and sharing what's going through his mind, if not the entire movie.

"Words Of Encouragement."

Is it too much to hope that this could be a snippet of a bonus feature for the home video release? Probably, considering it isn't mentioned on Amazon's listing for the Project Hail Mary Blu-ray, and Rocky specifically shouts out YouTube in the video.

The home video release happens in August, with the limited edition Steelbook hitting shelves (at Amazon, exclusively) in October. Tragically, neither mentions any kind of commentary featuring Rocky. The closest thing we might get to that would be the "Earth's Favorite Eridian" feature, which I'm assuming is some kind of featurette focused on Rocky. Will it merely be about Rocky, or will it feature the actual Eridian in character? Either way, that feature sounds like a win, but hear me out...

Amazon, Please Friend, Give Us A Rocky Commentary (With Ryan Gosling, Because I'm Greedy)

This is an Amazon MGM Studios movie, so this request does feel doable, assuming James Ortiz and Ryan Gosling were game for it, and Amazon wanted to make it happen. I would absolutely love the option to watch Rocky and Grace (or Ryan Gosling as himself) comment on the movie throughout its full run. Even if we can't get it as a feature on the Blu-ray, it'd be great if Amazon offered it as a feature on the digital/streaming version of the film. Make it a Prime Video exclusive!

If a full commentary isn't an option, please at least give us more videos of Rocky watching clips from the movie! I'd especially like to hear his thoughts about Stratt -- maybe he can watch the scene where she's watching him on video (the one where we see her new tattoo). There's also an opportunity for some particularly meta humor for James Ortiz if Rocky were to watch a certain cameo from earlier in the movie.

If this clip is all we'll get of Rocky watching Project Hail Mary, so be it. It's adorable, and I'm excited to hear all about the making of the movie when the commentary featuring Phil Lord and Christopher Miller becomes available on the home video release. But I don't think I'm alone in saying that more Rocky in any way would be amaze amaze amaze. In the meantime, you can stream Project Hail Mary with a Prime Video subscription.

Project Hail Mary had a strong theatrical rollout. It's earned praise from critics, performed well at the box office and even surpassed the novel it’s based on in certain respects. Much of that success seems tied to the attention to detail shared by both the film and its source material. That commitment to accuracy even extends to a humorous moment in the movie that a real scientist has confirmed is technically correct. And once you hear that detail, it’s hard not to laugh.

Among the many scientific details the Ryan Gosling-fronted 2026 movie schedule entry gets right, there’s one smaller, unexpected tidbit that stands out: how astronomers name things. Speaking with the New York Times, Mark Popinchalk, a postdoctoral fellow at the American Museum of Natural History, pointed to the less-than-cool names, such as Tau Ceti e, noting that they reflect reality. He explained to the outlet:

The sheer irony of this revelation is just too funny, especially considering the discussions that have surrounded PHM since its release. It's hilarious to think that amid the deep conversations unfolding about what's accurate in the film and what's not, astronomers lacking when it comes to naming skills is among the elements that's receiving praise.

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the film follows Ryland Grace (Gosling), a middle school teacher who awakens from a coma aboard a spacecraft orbiting the distant star Tau Ceti. With no memory of how he got there, Grace gradually pieces together his mission: a microscopic organism is draining energy from the sun, threatening Earth with a catastrophic freeze.

Tau Ceti appears to be the only nearby star unaffected, prompting a desperate mission to uncover why. After losing his crewmates during the journey, Grace encounters an alien lifeform he eventually befriends, a turning point that reshapes the mission.

As alluded to, Popinchalk’s remarks are part of a larger conversation about how scientifically grounded Project Hail Mary really is, and experts suggest the answer falls somewhere in between. A book-to-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s best-selling 2021 novel, the film leans into the traditions of hard science fiction, blending speculative ideas with real-world principles. That approach has fueled ongoing chats among audiences and scientists alike, with debates spanning everything from space travel mechanics to the plausibility of alien biology.

At the center of the story is a fictional microorganism known as an astrophage, which can absorb stellar energy and threaten the balance of entire solar systems. While that concept stretches scientific credibility, experts note that much of the film still gets key principles right. Elements like the silence of space, the mechanics of spacewalks and rotational gravity are all depicted with a level of care that stands out within the genre.

Even some of the more speculative ideas have roots in real science. Researchers have been able to crystallize gases like xenon under certain conditions, and light-based propulsion concepts have been explored in theoretical physics. At the same time, scientists acknowledge that parts of the film take creative liberties, particularly in how microbes behave in space or in the scale of their potential impact on a star.

With bad naming conventions in mind, the general consensus among experts is that the film strikes a fair balance between imagination and plausibility. As one astrophysicist noted, none of the film’s scientific leaps were so far off that they broke the experience entirely, unlike in many large-scale science fiction films.

For a movie built on big ideas and high-concept science, it’s a small, almost throwaway detail about naming conventions that ends up being one of its most accurate. And in a film filled with cosmic threats and interstellar travel, that tiny moment of truth might be one of its most satisfying. Catch it streaming on MGM+

Ever since I watched Project Hail Mary, which is definitely one of the strongest 2026 movie releases so far, I’ve understandably been on a Ryan Gosling kick, and wanting to see more out of the actor. I mean let’s face it, between films like La La Land and Barbie the guy knows how to pick ‘em. Sure, he’s already got Star Wars: Starfighter on the way, but I was looking forward to another movie where his involvement sadly went south.

Now that more details has surfaced pertaining to why he left, as well as the A-lister replacing him, I'm still moody about it all, but am glad to have more clarity about what happened.

I Was Hyped For Ryan Gosling’s New Movie, Until He Left

Have you seen a little movie called Everything Everywhere All At Once? It became an unexpected hit between its record-breaking box office success and winning Best Picture (along with a ton of other accolades) and being now regarded as one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Well, the filmmakers behind it, The Daniels, are currently working on another sci-fi story that involves time travel and global warming, and they'd initially cast Ryan Gosling in it.

Having seen and absolutely adored Everything Everywhere All At Once, I was really excited to see how Gosling would collaborate with The Daniels. I feel like the actor and the filmmakers would be a really solid match when it comes to comedy and what they can do with bringing original concepts to life. But, Gosling has since left the movie and we’re hearing this week that Matt Damon has replaced him in the role he was going to play.

Why Ryan Gosling Allegedly Left The Daniels’ Movie

Now, I’m not writing this to take any shots at Matt Damon. I think Damon is phenomenal, and likely when The Daniels’ new movie comes out in the fall of 2027 I’ll look back at this story not being able to imagine anyone else for the leading role. What I want to talk about is what The Hollywood Reporter learned about why Gosling allegedly left.

Per the outlet, when Ryan Gosling agreed to star in the movie, he had some notes for the directors. He apparently wanted the movie to be “larger” in scale and “asked for script changes”. However, considering Universal also slotted the movie for November 2027 and they received a California tax credit to film the untitled movie this summer/early fall, adhering to Gosling’s requests would have been a hassle.

As someone who deeply loves Everything Everywhere All At Once, which was made on a small budget of $25 million in California, I think there’s something special about The Daniels staying true to that vision for their followup. It cannot be easy to make another movie after winning Best Picture knowing how people are going to compare it, but I appreciate that the directors aren’t just making their next feature bigger because they can, even if that means having to say no to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. I’ve been so excited for what The Daniels will do next, and I think they’ll be just fine without Ryan Gosling.

There’s something kind of fascinating about how Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have managed to stay both incredibly famous and almost completely out of the spotlight at the same time. They’ve been together for years, share two kids, and yet somehow still feel like one of the most low-key couples in Hollywood. Which is why even a small update about something as routine as date night suddenly feels like a rare peek behind the curtain.

In a recent interview, as reported by People magazine, Mendes opened up about how she and Gosling make time for each other while raising their daughters, Esmeralda and Amada, and juggling everything else going on in their busy 2026 movie schedules and lives. Yes, date nights are very much part of that equation. She explained:

There’s something refreshingly unglamorous about that answer. For two people who could absolutely turn a “date night” into a full-blown event if they wanted to, their go-to is simply going to the movies. Honestly, this makes the two even more relationship goals.

Mendes mentioned that making time together is important, especially with two kids in the mix and schedules that don’t exactly leave much room for spontaneity. So when they do get that time, they keep it simple. Which, honestly, feels like part of the appeal.

But how do two people as recognizable as the A-list couple pull off a normal night out without it turning into a scene? According to Mendes, it mostly comes down to being intentional about where they go. She continued:

That’s so interesting. The couple isn't avoiding the world, they’re just navigating it carefully and choosing spaces where they can exist without everything turning into a spectacle, which is probably easier said than done when you’re Ryan Gosling.

If you’ve followed Mendes and Gosling over the years, this all lines up pretty neatly with how they’ve handled everything else. They’ve always kept their relationship out of the spotlight as much as possible. The Ghost Rider actress, in particular, has stepped back from acting in recent years, focusing more on family life and business ventures, including her work with Skura Style. Even when she does give interviews, she tends to keep things grounded and personal rather than performative.

So hearing that their version of a night out involves movies and “the unmentionables” (whatever that actually includes) feels pretty on-brand. It’s just two people making time for each other in a way that works for them. In a landscape where celebrity relationships can feel like part of the show, that kind of normalcy stands out.

Eva Mendes has effectively retired from acting to focus on raising her and Gosling's children, but she hasn’t exactly disappeared. She’s been openly supportive of her partner’s latest project, Project Hail Mary, which has been making serious waves. Between its box office success and some already dubbing it one of the best sci-fi movies in recent memory, it’s clearly a moment for him, and she’s right there cheering the book-to-screen adaptation on, just not from the red carpet.

There are plenty of things one expects to hear when an author talks about major book-to-screen adaptations of their work. You know, stuff about story changes, casting choices, maybe even how weird it is seeing their characters come to life on screen. What I didn’t expect was Ryan Gosling's good looks to get such amusingly prominent attention from Project Hail Mary’s author Andy Weir.

During a panel at BookCon (via People), Andy Weir, the author behind the novel that inspired the box office juggernaut Project Hail Mary, was asked a very straightforward question: Is Gosling actually that handsome in person? The moment quickly turned into one of those unexpectedly great soundbites. He responded:

That’s it. That’s the answer. And honestly, it kind of says everything it needs to. The crowd reportedly got a kick out of it, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s such a simple, off-the-cuff response, but so relatable, at least for plenty of like-minded people. More like Gaga Land, amirite?

Not that Weir was only focused on such casting aesthetics, distracting though they may be. The popular author also spoke about his involvement in the Project Hail Mary film, which stars the Notebook alum as Ryland Grace, a science teacher-turned-astronaut tasked with saving humanity. Unlike some authors who take a hands-off approach, Weir was deeply involved in the process, offering feedback throughout development, production, and editing. He added:

That level of involvement gave him a front-row seat to how the film came together, including how much of the final product was shaped by the actors themselves. According to Weir, Gosling and his co-stars didn’t just stick to the script.

The writer noted that a surprising amount of the movie came from ad-libbed moments, with Gosling and James Ortiz, who voices the alien character Rocky, riffing off each other in ways that went beyond what was originally written. Weir explained that kind of spontaneity ended up shaping the film in a big way:

So, is Gosling as handsome in real life as he is on screen? It sure sounds like that's the Drive-ing notion. But for Andy Weir, it’s clearly about more than that. It’s the full experience of working with him, being around that kind of presence, and watching the creative process unfold up close that left the biggest impression.

Project Hail Mary is still tearing up the 2026 movie calendar box office, so if you want to see Ryan Gosling on the big screen in all his charm, you’ve still got time, as the hit sci-fi movie isn't leaving theaters just yet.

When Saturday Night Live lands on a winning idea, the chances are high that the writers and performers will milk that idea for all it’s worth in the weeks, months, and years to come. Which is why many fans expected Ryan Gosling’s return as guest host to include a reprisal of the hyper-viral Beavis and Butt-Head sketch from 2024, arguably the biggest sketch of that year. We even know that a follow-up sketch was written and rehearsed, so what happened?

SNL's current "IT Girl" Ashley Padilla, who has amassed MVP status as a featured player, opened up about the missed opportunity when speaking with Deadline, and it sounds like Ryan Gosling himself may have had a bigger-than-expected influence on the follow-up sketch getting scrapped before the live taping. As she put it:

To her point, Ryan Gosling is not an actor who's ever been synonymous with making samey and rote acting choices, and one would have to put some real thought into identifying any sequels that he's been a part of. (All I could think of is Blade Runner 2049, and he wasn't in the original, so it barely counts.) He likely could have turned his Barbie character Ken into its own franchise, but it's just not his style. He and Mikey Day did get back in costume for Fall Guy’s red carpet, but even that technically stood apart from the SNL sketch.

Padilla continued, speaking to the idea that Gosling embraced the new and unfamiliar sketches that were pitched, resulting in more viral sketches like "Passing Notes," and more on-screen breaks from the actors.

To be fair, it's possible that Ryan Gosling had zero issues with reprising his Beavis lookalike role, and the decision to scrap the new sketch was made by Lorne Michaels or someone else on staff. It's truly a tragedy that fans didn't get to see it, largely due to Sarah Sherman dressing up as Tina Belcher from Bob's Burgers. To that end, Padilla shared:

I know it's too much to ask to hope for that or another B&B sketch to resurface during the rest of Season 51, as there are only a few episodes left, and none of the upcoming guest hosts seem very fitting for it. Unless Olivia Rodrigo is made up to look like Daria...

Saturday Night Live airs Saturday nights on NBC at 11:35 p.m. ET, and episodes are available to stream via Peacock subscription.

Project Hail Mary, one of the early hits of the 2026 movie schedule, has been praised for the way both handle the science in the story. It’s not the first time Andy Weir, the author of the book on which it is based, has been lauded for this, and it turns out, he puts a lot of pressure on himself to get the science correct. To motivate himself, he just needs to think about how Neil deGrasse Tyson would react to the story. Weir opened up on Tyson’s podcast, StarTalk, recently, and explained how much pressure Tyson inadvertently puts on him. Here’s what Weir had to say.

No ‘Hand-Wavey’ Physics

In Project Hail Mary (and his previous book-to-screen adaptation, The Martian), Weir takes a lot of time to make sure the science in his fiction is plausible, in addition to being accessible to laymen. He doesn’t, as he says, want any “hand-wavey” physics just to move the plot along. Of course, as I’m sure other sci-fi writers can relate, he keeps himself in line by making sure that if astrophysicist Tyson were to read his works, he would approve. On the podcast, Tyson told Weir that he really appreciated the level of real science Weir uses. To that, Weir admitted:

It may come across as a joke, or a playful comment about Tyson’s notorious Tweets when movies and TV shows get something wrong about the science, but Weir was not joking. Tyson then reminded Weir of a quote from the author from some years back (which may have also been from an earlier episode, but it’s not cited by Tyson). Tyson read Weir's words:

Weir emphasized again that he really does picture Tyson standing over his shoulder as he types his story, putting pressure on himself to get it all correct.

It’s A System That Seems To Be Working

Tyson is known for cutting down that kind of “hand-wavy” physics in movies, so earning praise from the famed scientist is no small feat. In fact, Tyson, on the show, again complimented Weir and said:

There is probably no greater compliment a sci-fi writer could receive in today’s day and age than one like this from Tyson. He is, of course, hardly the only scientist who weighs in on science in films, but let’s be honest, he is probably the most well-known astrophysicist in the world today, and laymen like me trust Tyson when it comes to subject matter that is way over my head. I'm not alone in that; even filmmakers, like the directors of Project Hail Mary, ask Tyson about the science. Personally, ‘hand-wavy’ science is all I really need in a story to enjoy, but it’s always great to know that the physics would theoretically work, too.

I've seen Project Hail Mary a few times in theaters at this point, and one of the things I've enjoyed most with each rewatch is how much attention to detail there is. I feel like I've noticed something new or found deeper appreciation from small moments or bits of dialogue with each viewing of the book-to-screen adaptation. In this case, I wanted to talk about the scar on Grace's arm near the end of the film. I can't do that without getting into spoilers, so consider yourself warned if you haven't seen the 2026 movie. Big Project Hail Mary spoilers ahead!

The Scar On Grace's Arm

Ok, so if you didn't notice it, toward the end of Project Hail Mary, when Grace has decided to head back to Rocky's ship rather than continue home, there's at least one glimpse of his bare forearm, which shows a scar. I didn't think much of it the first time I saw the movie, but later it occurred to me that he got that scar when Rocky came out of his partition and carried or dragged him to get medical attention after they collected the taumoaba. A lot is happening during that intense scene, and we only see glimpses, but at one point, it seems like Rocky has him by the arm, and later, when Ryland comes out of hibernation, he has a bandage on his right arm, presumably where they made contact.

That he got the scar from Rocky saving his life was an interesting connection to me on its own, but the more I thought about it, I made two other connections that I'm theorizing could give that scar even more meaning.

Rocky And Grace Can't Touch Each Other (Or They REALLY Shouldn't, Anyway)

Knowing Rocky and Grace would remain together and friends for the foreseeable future, it's kind of jarring to think that they can never physically touch one another. To avoid severe burns, their hugs will presumably always be separated by some kind of xenonite barrier. So, in a weird way, the mark Rocky left on Ryland's arm sort of commemorates the one time they made physical contact with one another, and that's kind of special -- I mean, in the optimistic way we might sometimes consider certain scars to be a reminder of something life-changing, or in Grace's case, life-saving.

The Significance Of Markings For Rocky's People

The relevance and meaning behind a scar got me thinking of Rocky's own etchings and marks. Grace may have given Rocky his name because of his rock-like appearance, but his design is more deliberate than that. Looking at his legs, you can see carvings and marks on him that seem intentional and important.

In an Audible live stream event for the movie, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller talk about the design of Rocky, and Neal Scanlan's work developing him in the creature shop. During this conversation, they mention the carvings and marks on Rocky, which are meant to indicate his culture. That includes a wedding band and a mission patch, among other markings relevant to his life and work. I noticed at least once while watching the movie that, when he mentions his mate, Rocky points to his leg, so I think the turquoise mark on his leg might be the mentioned wedding ring.

The point I'm getting at here is that it's intentional that Rocky has marks on his body to signify certain important things about who he is. I like to think that the scar on Grace's arm is, in some ways, his own Eridian marking. Of course, I don't think it was Rocky's intention to burn his friend -- he was just trying to save his life. But in doing so, when their bodies came in contact, he left Grace with a mark on his arm that's now a physical reminder of Rocky's heroic act, and the bond these two characters have from working together to save their planets, becoming best friends in the process.

I Don't Know If It's Intentional, But I'm Choosing To Believe It

I don't know if this is the connection we're supposed to draw from Grace's scar, but given how he got it, what we know about Rocky's design, and also what we know the significance of Stratt's tattoo (also from a scene near the end of the movie), it doesn't feel like much of a leap to see more meaning in Grace's scar. Regardless, I'm choosing to believe it because it makes me happy.

Ryan Gosling’s 2026 calendar release, Project Hail Mary, has been a box office hit, cementing itself as one of the best science fiction movies of recent memory, and a lot of that comes down to his performance. But that success wasn’t exactly guaranteed, especially when you factor in what he was up against on set. For large stretches of the shoot, he was working completely alone. According to the actor and filmmakers, it added up to nearly 100 days of solo work. Luckily, they found a pretty inventive way to keep him from feeling like he was drifting out there by himself.

Overall, Gosling has been open about just how isolating the role could be. The film puts him front and center as a lone astronaut trying to save humanity, which meant there weren’t many scene partners to lean on. For long stretches, it was just him, the set, and a whole lot of empty space to react to. So the solution was simple in concept but wild in execution: the filmmakers stayed in his ear while he performed. That was a request Gosling specifically made, too, as he explained to Polygon:

Pulling back the curtain a bit, Gosling and the movie's directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, explained how they approached the challenge of keeping a performance grounded when your lead actor is essentially talking to no one. The answer turned out to be clever, slightly chaotic, and very on-brand for this group.

Instead of leaving The Notebook star to carry those scenes entirely on his own, the directors found a way to stay inside the moment with him, literally. They piped themselves into his ear during takes, offering live feedback, suggestions and even the occasional curveball. At first, though, they weren’t totally sold on the idea, as Christopher Miller admitted:

But the Drive actor pushed for it, and once they committed, it turned into something much more dynamic than anyone expected. The other half of the directing duo, Phil Lord, added:

That unpredictability became part of the performance itself. The team even looped in puppeteer James Ortiz, who operates and voices the alien character Rocky, turning him into a kind of live conduit during scenes. Miller continued:

Sometimes the team didn’t even stop at dialogue. Music made its way into the process, too, giving Gosling emotional cues in real time. Miller added:

It sounds like it was very much a “whatever works, do it” sort of situation on the set of the new book-to-screen adaptation, and it’s the kind of behind-the-scenes trick that feels oddly perfect for Project Hail Mary. That's because it's a story about a man improvising his way through isolation, so it feels fitting that the movie ended up being made in a way that leaned into that same spirit.

It would seem the directors' trick of being in the actor's ear paid off, as the new sci-fi flick continues to rake in the money and enjoys critical success. Not to mention, it has been a real shot in the arm for theaters, giving us hope about the future of cinema and that the theater industry isn't on life support as we have all been hearing for some time. Apparently, even when it comes to movies, if you build it, audiences will come.

Project Hail Mary is still playing in theaters. Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is making waves as part of the 2026 movie schedule and for a myriad of reasons. For one, Jack Black returns to voice Mario’s archnemesis, Bowser, and he doesn't miss a beat. However, in real life, Black humorously appears to have his own archnemesis in the form of Ryan Gosling, a.k.a “The Goz”. If you’re curious about what Black's beef with Gosling pertains to, you should know that Barbie is apparently a factor.

When The Super Mario Bros. Movie came out in 2023, Jack Black not only contributed his distinctive vocal stylings to Bowser's speaking voice but also sang and co-wrote the ever-catchy tune “Peaches.” During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Black, in his own unique way, expressed his disappointment over “Peaches” getting snubbed by the Oscars:

First off, I love the term “nominash.” That aside, I’ve gotta say I was in the same boat as the School of Rock actor when I discovered “Peaches” was snubbed. It truly is a “banger” of a song due to Black’s impressive vocal range, the icing on the cake is that such a love song comes from a being like Bowser, who truly believes he belongs with Princess Peach. Also, the sentimental ballad made a wild amount of money on Spotify — almost $76,000 from 15 million streams as reported in April 2023. Honestly, it's quite surprising that the song didn't get recognized by the Academy.

It also would've been great if “Peaches” was not only nominated at the 96th Academy Awards but also performed at the show as well. During his recent interview, Black noted that while “Peaches” didn’t get a “nominash,” another viral movie tune sure did, which jokingly started some beef with the previously mentioned Canadian actor:

Shots fired! But, seriously, it can't be denied that “I’m Just Ken” contributes to a standout musical moment in Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Also a humorous and sentimental love ballad, the Ryan Gosling-sung number does have three remixes and a hilarious SNL parody from Pete Davidson. Not to mention, Gosling’s viral Oscars performance of the Best Song nominee was a true highlight of the star-studded event.

Let's be real here, of course. Jack Black mostly seems to be kidding here and surely doesn't have any real animosity towards Ryan Gosling. Still, I love how he's committing to the bit, and he really did that by revealing to Jimmy Fallon that he wrote a revenge song. Here are some lyrics:

If or when Black or "The Goz" ever return to SNL, I want a sketch of them going head-to-head with a “Peaches” vs. “I’m Just Ken” standoff. I could easily see a segment like that going viral.

For now, though, let's all just agree that both "Peaches" and "I'm Just Ken" are extremely catchy tunes that deserve their flowers. Jack Black and Ryan Gosling are both part of two very special music moments within the cultural zeitgeist, and they should be proud of themselves. However, if they want to humorously have a music duel, all I'll say is, "Let them fight."

Be sure to hear Jack Black reprise Bowser in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is playing in theaters now.

The following contains spoilers for the ending of Project Hail Mary.

Project Hail Mary has been the biggest theatrical hit from the 2026 movie schedule thus far, and not only from a box office standpoint. The Ryan Gosling-led film has received critical acclaim, and it continues to generate conversations amongst general audiences. One of the aspects of the film that’s seemingly being discussed at length is the way the story ends. In the mind of Andy Weir -- the author of the original novel -- the ending is "perfect" and, just recently, Weir opened up about knowing how the book would end before he actually started writing it.

Some writers admit that they don’t always know where a story is going when it begins or, of course, story plans can change over the course of the writing process. However, Andy Weir revealed that he knew where the main character of Project Hail Mary, middle school teacher Ryland Grace, would end up from the beginning, even if he wasn’t entirely clear on how he would get there. He told the New York Times…

PHM ends with Ryland opts to save his alien friend, Rocky, and the Eridian race as a whole by turning his ship around and helping his ally return home. Ultimately, Grace opts to stay on the Eridians' planet, and he becomes a teacher there as well.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the directors of the film adaptation, clearly felt the ending was perfect as well. While Drew Goddard's screenplay makes a few minor changes and omissions from the book, the ending is largely intact in the movie.

While Project Hail Mary certainly has its share of fantastical elements, the science is as close to real as possible, which, if nothing else, means that relativity is an element that needs to be dealt with. In the film, it takes Gosling's Ryland years to get where he’s going, and it would take him just as long to return. This means that simply returning home wouldn’t necessarily be the “happy ending” that some might assume. Weir continued…

“Why would he leave?” may actually turn out to be a very interesting question. There have reportedly been some discussions about a potential sequel to Project Hail Mary. While Andy Weir says he did hold some answers back from the book to potentially explore in a sequel, it’s far from clear where such a movie would actually go.

Nevertheless, even if an official follow-up never happens, I'd say that the story of Ryland Grace is fine where it is. For now, check out Project Hail Mary in theaters and make up your own mind about the ending.

Sometimes things just line up in a perfect way, and you can say that about the release of Project Hail Mary. The critically acclaimed Ryan Gosling-led film coincidentally came out right before real-life astronauts launched into space on Artemis II on a mission to loop around the moon. That marked the first crew-faced mission to go around the moon since 1972, and it all remains incredibly exciting. Luckily, the astronauts actually got to see the the aforementioned movie before taking off, and we now have their thoughts.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said that himself and the other crewmates heading around the moon had the opportunity to screen Project Hail Mary with their families, via a report from The Guardian. He called the experience a “real treat,” which is a glowing review coming from a real life astronaut. During a live TV event by the Canadian Space Agency, Hansen -- the first non-U.S. citizen to fly to the moon -- further elaborated on how he feels about sci-fi entertainment in the wake of seeing Gosling's latest movie, saying:

This is a pretty huge endorsement, especially considering what the Artemis II crew is embarking on in the name of science. For context, Phil Lord an Chris Miller's, sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary, follows Ryland Grace (Gosling), a teacher who wakes up with amnesia while on a spaceship. His mission is to save Earth from becoming victim to an Astrophage, which could dim the sun. And, along the way, Grace befriends a rock-like creature he eventually names Rocky.

While in real-life Earth isn’t currently under that kind of threat, Gosling’s character exemplifies the intelligence and determination needed to save humanity, as well as extraordinary courage. The stakes may be different, but I'd like to think the Artemis crew can relate to this bravery.

While Project Hail Mary is definitely a work of fiction, a lot of elements of the story are rooted in real life science. It's based on Andy Weir's 2021 novel of the same name, and the Ryland Grace character uses quantum physics, chemistry and biology to get out of his situation, tactics that have real-life scientific backing. Despite the high level of intellect used for the plot points, and Gosling’s difficulty with the “science math” that was prevalent in the script, PHM is still incredibly accessible. The movie focuses just as much on the story and the heart as it does getting the science right.

Based on this review from the Artemis II crew member, it seems like the astronauts didn’t just appreciate the science that went into making Lord and Miller's movie as grounded as possible. They also appreciated the heart and soul of Gosling’s character. PHM is truly a triumph, in my eyes and deserves all of the flowers it's getting. So I can’t imagine a better send off for the Artemis II crew before their outer-space journey. Gosling also reportedly sent best wishes to the crew before the launch, which makes this all even sweeter.

Check out Project Hail Mary yourself now, as the film is currently playing in theaters nationwide. For more information on other exciting titles heading to the big screen this year, make sure to consult the 2026 movie schedule.

When Hollywood sees a movie as successful as Project Hail Mary, of course the next question becomes “Will there be a sequel?” The movie from Amazon MGM has accomplished the rare task of earning rave reviews from critics, making loads of cash at the box office and even one-upping the book it’s based on in some regards. As someone who recently went back over Andy Weir’s novel after seeing the movie, I want to talk about how I think the adaptation is subtly leaving the door open for a sequel.

While I think Project Hail Mary’s a very good adaptation of the source material, of course there’s some standout differences between the two mediums. Let’s talk about a couple that stuck out to me regarding sequel potential that I think are worth nothing.

I Think Ryland Grace’s Age In The Book vs. Movie Points To A Possible Sequel

The end of the Project Hail Mary book relatively has the same results as the movie. Ryland Grace ends up living on Erid with Rocky, and teaching a school of other Eridians. But, I noticed an extra detail the book includes that the movie decided not to have: Ryland Grace is kind of old at the end of the novel. Per the text:

Now, I find this especially interesting after watching the movie, because at the end of it Ryan Gosling isn’t walking around on that beach with prosthetic wrinkles on his face. To me, it would make every sense in the world for the movie to adapt this element of the book if they were sure it was a one-off. I have an inkling that the producers decided to keep Ryan Gosling’s depiction of Grace the relatively same age just in case a followup comes along.

The Movie Also Chose To Leave The Mission's Fate More Open-Ended

Another detail from the book’s ending I want to point out has to do with Grace learning that his mission was successful in returning the sun to hot and sunshine-y from Rocky in the same scene. In the novel, Rocky delivers the news to Grace and he breaks down in happy tears. As the book puts it:

Now, in the movie we definitely get a bit of this hope by the end, but in a different way. The movie shows Eva Stratt receiving The Beatles and therefore having Grace’s findings and video messages. This allows us as an audience to celebrate the idea that Grace and Rocky did save the world. Sure, from Grace and Rocky’s side, we can guess that since Erid remains habitable that they know they were successful, but I think the movie deciding not to have a moment like the below from the book gives the audience all the more reason to expect a possible sequel:

When I read Project Hail Mary, I really felt a finality to it when Grace realizes that his whole life has been given “meaning”. However, the movie felt more tease-y to me! Of course, I still think the movie ending totally works as a standalone movie, but there’s definitely more of a tinge of unfinished business to it.

What Andy Weir Has Said About A Project Hail Mary Sequel So Far

So, could Project Hail Mary really get a sequel? At the end of the day, it’s really up to author Andy Weir. Here’s what he told ScreenRant about his thoughts a second movie:

Andy Weir is currently working on an untitled standalone sci-fi novel that involves AI. As he brought up, he’d be open to it, but only if he thinks up a “good” idea to follow up the original storyline. There’s of course a lot of pressure that would come with the author deciding to put pen to paper on a Project Hail Mary sequel, and revisit the beloved story between Grace and Rocky with an additional adventure.

On the movie side of things, The Hollywood Reporter said “there are no official conversations underway between Weir and Amazon MGM”, but per insiders, “a sequel isn’t out of the question” but the author would be in the “driver’s seat.” Weir has never done a sequel to any of his previous books before.

The Other Andy Weir Book That Could Be Adapted Before A Project Hail Mary Sequel

Regarding next steps for Weir’s relationship with Hollywood adaptations, there is an adaptation for his book Artemis being developed from 20th Century Studios with the same directors of Project Hail Mary, Lord and Miller, behind it. The 2017 novel is another sci-fi story exploring the first and only city on the moon, called Artemis, and a heist that a criminal known as Jazz tries to pull off on it.

In a recent interview with Den of Geek, Weir said the hold up has to do with whether they “can we get someone to give us a big pile of money to make it”. I’m guessing after the success of Project Hail Mary, piles of money might be more readily given to Lord, Miller and Weir to produce Artemis, but we’ll have to wait and see. For now, I’m so happy the movie exists… and totally OK if it remains a standalone, especially if that’s Andy Weir’s wishes.

On the internet, there’s a lot of talk about Project Hail Mary’s great reviews, its box office wins, and the behind-the-scenes facts that make it a technical achievement. However, there’s also a whole lot of chatter about smaller and sillier topics surrounding this book-to-screen adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel, like Ryan Gosling’s glasses. To get even more specific, there’s quite a bit of talk about the weird way he chose to wear his spectacles. However, upon further reflection, I realized that I do the same thing with my sunglasses…which makes me think the actor is on to something.

The People Of TikTok Are Popping Off About Ryan Gosling’s Glasses In Project Hail Mary

Now, generally, I’d assume that the most common way to wear your glasses without them being on your nose is on top of your head. Like, if you need to take them off for a second, you scoot them up, and then they’re out of the way. However, in Project Hail Mary, Ryland Grace pulls his glasses off one ear and lets them dangle off the other below his chin. Fans found this choice Gosling made quite funny, and it’s caused an influx of TikToks that look like this:

Well, last year we had slutty little glasses thanks to Jonathan Bailey and Jurassic World Rebirth, and I guess this year, Project Hail Mary has given us chaotic and askew glasses. Truly, this project on the 2026 movie schedule and Gosling’s glasses are entertaining many fans as they try to wear their glasses in unexpected ways. Here’s another example:

Then, on the podcast Miss Thing with Greg and Tim, Greg Trimmer called out “Ryan Gosling’s glasses acting.” He claimed that “no one who actually uses glasses to see would ever treat their glasses like that.” And at first, I agreed. I thought the choice the actor made was odd.

However, I took the weekend to think about Gosling’s glasses while wearing my glasses, and I had a realization that parallels this TikTok:

Yeah, I realized that I actually wear my glasses the same way Ryland Grace does on occasion…so maybe Ryan Gosling really was on to something.

I Realized I Wear My Glasses Like Ryan Gosling Sometimes

Like many of the fans above, I too was a bit baffled and entertained by the La La Land star’s choice to wear his glasses below his face and off one ear instead of on his head. However, then I was driving over the weekend and wearing a pair of wirey sunglasses, which aren’t super dissimilar to Ryland’s glasses in the movie, and I unconsciously moved them off my face the same way he does.

My sunglasses were thin, flexible, and the nose pads were not plastic. They were the kind that are slightly disconnected, that get stuck in your hair if you move them to the top of your head. So, naturally, when I needed to remove my sunglasses for a second to look at my map, I moved them off one of my ears and let them dangle by my chin. Then, I easily put them back on once I saw what needed to be seen.

It was convenient, especially for those glasses, and it made me realize that Ryan Gosling and Ryland Grace were not doing anything that odd. While this method is by no means common, it’s maybe not as unusual as I had initially thought.

So, now, the next time I see Project Hail Mary (which you can see in theaters now), I won’t poke as much fun at the glasses and how they’re worn. Instead, I’ll take a moment to give credit where credit is due, because sometimes, off one ear and below the chin is the best place to put your glasses.

Jack Black is the latest of upcoming SNL hosts joining the sketch show, but this time is going to be real special. His appearance this weekend is actually going to mark the actor’s fifth time on Saturday Night Live, which has become a bit of a tradition to celebrate since Tom Hanks started the Five-Timers Club bit in 1990. And there’s a bit of irony to the whole thing after a recent Ryan Gosling SNL moment.

When Gosling was doing promo for Saturday Night Live last month, a hilarious thing happened where the actor thought he was joining the Five-Timers Club and cast member Mikey Day helped him realize he wasn’t quite there yet. Next time, buddy! So, to have Jack Black host a couple shows after him, and actually receive the honor? Too good. Anyways, here’s Black’s own promo:

Oh, he’s ready! While SNL promos have started to predictably become a video with the next host and one of the cast members quipping together, this is a fun change of pace. Jack Black did a “get ready with me” video where he decides to wear not one, but two kitty-themed shirts, flaming shorts he lovingly calls “florts”, rainbow tye-dye socks, some clogs, and a bucket hat and beanie worn together. The pinnacle of fashion... obviously. The mini sketch ends with Black running into cast member Sarah Sherman with the exact same and oddly specific fit on.

When Jack Black hosts on Saturday, we definitely expect there to be some decorum over the accomplishment. Black will be the 27th inductee in the Five-Timers Club among hosts. There are 17 more on the musical guest side of things, if we're counting those, too. The last host to earn the honor was Martin Short back in 2024, with other recent inductees being Kristen Wiig, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, John Mulaney, and Paul Rudd over the past five years.

As the promo points out, Jack Black’s musical guest will be Jack White, whom he called his “brother from another color” in the video. Genius. He seems like one of those hosts that all the cast would love to play with, and Seth Meyers has said he has the rare honor of having a “beloved” cut sketch on the show, so you know this one's going to be good.

Jack Black’s first time hosting on SNL was back on January 19, 2002 before returning less than two years later in October 4, 2003. He also came on the show as host on December 17, 2005 before having a nearly twenty-year hiatus. His last appearance was April 5 of last year. It'll be great to see him join the likes of Steve Martin, Danny DeVito, and Melissa McCarthy. Here's hoping there will be some cameos from the Five-Timers Club, too.

Black’s return to SNL comes as his reprisal of Bowser in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has hit theaters. The new animated movie is expected to become the biggest box office debut of 2026, per Variety – eclipsing Ryan Gosling once again, since Project Hail Mary currently holds that title. Sorry to Ryan Gosling (he'll be fine), and congrats to Jack Black for the big weekend ahead!

While it’s nearly unheard of for everybody to love any movie, the praise for Project Hail Mary has seemed to be as close to universal as most films ever get. Fans and critics are in rare agreement with the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes scores from audiences and critics being within a point of each other, and both being in the high 90% range.

And yet, as stated, not everybody likes every movie. There will always be those who don’t care about a popular film, and while I’m usually more than happy to let people have their opinions, I have to say some of the people who say they didn’t like Project Hail Mary do seem to be reaching. A recent thread on Reddit asked fans to list some of the “worst” criticisms of the movie, and some of the claims are wild. Comments include:

• No shit, there was a dude on here last week saying he hated it for being "blatant Catholic propaganda" because the ship was called Hail Mary. It was certainly one of the takes of all time. - IAMAHigherConductor
• That it wasn’t religious! True! Some people in the Philippines went to watch the movie last week thinking it was a religious movie about the Virgin Mary in time for the Holy Week observance this week. - iPLAYiRULE
• My friend, after the movie was finished: "Didn't enjoy it at all, too much fiction. Interstellar is way better..." Because falling into a black hole and becoming a time-traveling ghost was very realistic... smh... - Willy2277
• 'Ryan Gosling is a terrible choice for a sci fi lead. He's not serious enough.' .... I have to imagine the only other Ryan Gosling movie they've seen is Barbie, 'cause what. - sharkees
• The couple walking out of the theater in front of us were complaining about how funny it was...??!! I heard one of them say, "what the hell, they made it a comedy!" Time-Fix-5852

I’m not going to lie, I love the fact that two of the popular responses on the thread are different people upset at the level of religious promotion in the movie, with some feeling there was too much, and others feeling there wasn’t enough. Although it has to be said that anybody going to see the movie based solely on the title and expecting a certain sort of movie based on that should probably do more research before going to the theater.

A not insignificant number of complaints clearly come from people who know Andy Weir’s book well and are disappointed by the movie as an adaptation. Many were clearly hoping for more science in their science fiction and were disappointed that the movie cut some of that. I can at least understand that criticism. I’ve certainly had favorite books turned into movies where I was disappointed in some of the adaptation choices, even if I thought the film was good overall.

That said, I feel like anybody who felt Project Hail Mary was a “comedy” was clearly watching a different movie. While there is humor, most of it is gallows humor from characters who are far from certain they’ll survive.

I’m also going to call foul with the idea that Ryan Gosling isn’t serious enough for a serious science fiction movie. While he certainly has made his share of comedies and light-hearted films, anybody who knows Gosling’s work knows he is perfectly capable of serious acting. Two of his three Oscar nominations were for very serious dramas.

I’m not saying there are not legitimate reasons to not love Project Hail Mary, but I’m not sure any of these actually qualify.

After a lifetime of loving and appreciating movies and over a decade-and-a-half of professionally writing about them, I'm still utterly wowed by their magic. In order to achieve a proper effect or look, filmmakers come up with some weird and ingenious solutions, and I'll never stop being dazzled when I learn about the ways that ideas are brought to life on the big screen. This story about how a wave of Astrophage is depicted in the new blockbuster Project Hail Mary is an absolutely perfect example.

The official IMAX Instagram account has posted a video of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller commenting on a particularly stunning moment in their latest big screen feature, and their description of how it all came together is amazing. The scene in question is when Ryan Gosling's Ryland Grace is doing an EVA while the Hail Mary is in the middle of a Petrova Line, and we see Astrophage represented as swirling, pink points of light all around him. It's a cinematic image that drops your jaw… and Miller's description of how the effect was created is utterly delightful. Said the filmmaker,

When watching Project Hail Mary, the film entrances you with its spectacle, and your brain in the moment is willing to believe the sight of Ryan Gosling floating in a vacuum surrounded by alien life. But knowing that it's just a mix of a tweaked camera, some stringed lights and chicken wire is mind-bogglingly cool.

And that's not even the end of the awesomeness. While removing the infrared filter and setting up the blinking lights set up the basic appearance for the effect, the movie's cinematographer took the look one step further by performing a special trick with water as well. Miller added:

The filmmakers could have easily left the moment in the hands of the talented visual effects artists that were employed by the production, but I love the fact that they opted to create the look in camera, and it's beautiful.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller added that the set-up looked rather ridiculous on set, but one can't argue with the results:

• Chris Miller: It was one of these movie magic things where you're like, to the naked eye, it looked like a guy in a spacesuit standing around looking at his hands,
• Phil Lord: A bunch of psychos like pouring water onto a camera.
• Chris Miller: But when you look at what the camera with an infrared filter out looked like, it was just beautiful.

It's stunning, and a must for the big screen. Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters everywhere (having just dominated the box office for the second weekend in a row), and if you haven't experienced it for yourself yet, you are very much missing out.

Ryan Gosling thought he was joining SNL’s infamous "Five-Timers Club" during his most recent appearance. His math may have been off, but he’s no newbie at 30 Rock. In fact, he’s gone through a number of quick changes during his time on the show. How does he go from a popular sketch like “Beavis and Butthead” to another requiring a giant costume swap like “Cyclops”? It turns out, Saturday Night Live has a secret weapon.

Her name is Donna. That is, Donna Richards, the longtime costume and wardrobe department maverick on NBC’s late night sketch series. She’s dressed some big names over the years, and Ryan Gosling is among them. The actor was promoting his recent movie Project Hail Mary on Late Night With Seth Meyers when he realized Donna was also a staple on that late night series.

Seth Meyers then joked about Donna's role on the late night series he also used to star in.

Of course, he is just kidding, but I’d imagine the quick changes on SNL leave little to the imagination. In fact, I know this to be true, because Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig both confirmed “they’re literally tearing clothes” off behind-the-scenes and everybody is seeing everybody else’s bits. Even when the quick changes don’t necessarily involve nudity, they can be brutally fast-paced. You can see the full exchange, below.

To keep the guest host in a good mood, Donna is apparently a superhuman, and brought Ryan Gosling pop tarts from her relative's bakery.

Seth Meyers seemed perplexed by this admission, leading Donna from the sidelines to sheepishly mention Ryan Gosling is the only one getting the pop tarts on the SNL set. Sorry to all of the other upcoming guest hosts and musical guests, but Ryan Gosling is definitely getting a little special treatment on the show. That will probably continue, too, because he's very close to finally landing that Five-Timers club laud. And since he's got his first big franchise movie in Starfighter (which means we're finally getting another upcoming Star Wars movie) coming up, I expect this opportunity will come sooner than later.

I hope Donna doesn't forget the pop tarts.

Ryan Gosling really committed to the Kenergy while he made and promoted Barbie. In fact, he got an Oscar nomination (and one epic Oscar performance) because of it. However, it turns out that the commitment to Ken had to have some boundaries. In the case of the actor, it had to do with the “shave room” that was available on set for the Kens. While it was there for them to use, he was adamant that he didn’t want to use it.

Now, there was already a lot of lore surrounding the Kens shaving and waxing for Barbie, because, as you know, Kens don’t have body hair. Ryan Gosling just added a crazy fact to this already wild topic by telling BBC Radio One that he did not shave his legs for Greta Gerwig’s movie:

Well, while he didn’t shave his legs, there was a room set up for it. Revealing that fact, the Project Hail Mary actor said:

I don’t know if he didn’t shave, shaved at home or decided to wax. However, I DO know that Ryan Gosling did not use that shave room.

Considering the tales of the Kens waxing for this movie, I have to wonder how often the room was used by them, too. I mean, Simu Liu got real about the struggles of waxing to play Ken, and he revealed that Kingsley Ben-Adir was the only Ken who didn’t wax. So, maybe he had to use the shave room.

According to Gosling, those who did use it did not have fun. As the interviewer named some of his co-stars who may have had to use it, The Nice Guys star said:

Considering how dramatic the Kens can be, I can imagine the noises he was joking about here. However, the comments about the shave room didn’t stop there. Oh, no, continuing to add to his explanation of it, Gosling said:

Now, I couldn’t tell you if Gosling is joking or if he’s serious. However, I do fully believe that there was a shave room on Barbie. From the sets to the clothes to the way people held themselves, everyone really committed to making this world of dolls. So, yes, that means the guys had to shave and wax so they could play Kens. Although apparently, that does not mean they all used the shave room.

So, with all that being said, I think it’s time for a rewatch of this hit 2023 movie (which you can do with an HBO Max subscription). As the best Barbie quotes and this story prove, it’s a masterful, smart and silly film that features a lot of actors fully transforming into Barbies and Kens. However, make sure you remember when you see Ryan Gosling’s Ken that he did not and would not use that shave room.

Since Project Hail Mary just had the biggest opening weekend among the 2026 movie releases so far, of course there’s an uptick in love for Ryan Gosling and interest in seeing the actor’s other great movies from over the years. One of his most hilarious films is currently available to stream with a Netflix subscription, but only for a short time.

A Hilarious Ryan Gosling Movie Is On Netflix, But Not For Long

The movie I’m talking about is 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love. It also stars Steve Carell, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon. It’s one of the best rom-coms of all time that I’ve honestly watched so many times, but if you haven’t seen it and have Netflix, now is a good time to check it out.

Steve Carell’s Cal Weaver is the movie's main character, who is freshly going through a divorce and trying to get back out there. (It’s pretty accurate to that whole experience, too). While hanging out at a bar one night, he meets Ryan Gosling’s character, Jacob Palmer, who is pretty much a pro at picking up women and has a very healthy, unattached sex life. Jacob decides to take Cal under his wing to teach him hisways, and the whole ride is so, so funny!

If you go on Netflix right now, you’ll see that the last day to watch Crazy, Stupid, Love is March 31. So if you want to stream it on the platform, hurry up and do so! However, if you do have HBO Max, you may be in luck. It’s currently on that platform as well, and we don’t have any indication that it’s leaving at the moment.

Where To Watch The Project Hail Mary Star’s Other Best Comedies

If you’re looking for other funny Ryan Gosling movies to check out at home now that Project Hail Mary warmed your heart, check out where to watch five of his best comedies.

Of all of Ryan Gosling’s comedies, Crazy, Stupid, Love, is probably the most obvious of them. La La Land, for example is a musical, and has some dramatic elements, The Nice Guys is a funny crime film, and Barbie, well, is Barbie. The Fall Guy is a stylish action comedy, and Lars and the Real Girl is a dark comedy that actually gets really emotional.

Anyways, no matter what you decide to watch, all this is a great reminder of how talented Ryan Gosling is. He really brings a lot of goofiness to Project Hail Mary, especially for a movie about a man in a suicide mission in space to help reverse the apocalypse. Hey, that’s not easy to do! Well, see you at the movies (whether it’s at home or on the big screen).

The point of Saturday Night Live is to make people laugh, which is a problem if you’re a member of the cast of Saturday Night Live. While the performers are, by and large, superhuman in their ability to not break character on set, it’s been known to happen, and it's been said that it frustrates producer Lorne Michaels to no end.

SNL vet Kevin Nealon took to Twitter recently to bring up the not entirely uncommon practice of cast members of the show finding something so funny that they can't help but laugh. Nealon was proud to say that he “never” broke character on the show, because he felt it was what he needed to do for both the writers and Lorne Michaels, though there was perhaps one time when he was challenged. Nealon said…

The famous Chippendales Audition sketch took place in 1990 when Patrick Swayze was hosting the show. Nealon is a member of the team auditioning potential male strippers that include both Swayze and a shirtless Chris Farley, who goes absolutely wild in one of his most famous sketches.

While Swayze and Farley are both excellent in the sketch, Nealon is playing the straight man. It’s a part that’s actually key to the whole sketch because his seriousness is part of what makes everything else so funny. Had Nealon actually broken character, it would have drastically changed everything about the sketch.

It’s unclear exactly what caused Nealon to bring this up, though it may have been the recent return of Ryan Gosling as host of Saturday Night Live. Gosling is famous for breaking character on the show and for making cast members do the same, and his most recent appearance during an episode that aired on the 2026 TV schedule was no exception.

That said, that recent appearance might actually throw some cold water on the idea that Lorne Michaels hates when people break character. The show included a sketch with Gosling that seemed specifically designed to get everybody laughing. It was quite successful. However, over the years, it's also been made known by many cast members that breaking is something they try really hard not to do.

Maybe Lorne Michaels really had a problem with breaking character once, but has changed his tune in recent years, or maybe it’s never been that big a deal. It's also possible that he does care a lot about it. However, in the grand scheme of things, the fact that it hasn’t happened more often in the shows over 51 years is a testament to the skill of some of the greatest comedians we’ve ever seen.

There’s a certain expectation that comes with starring in a hard sci-fi movie. You don’t necessarily need to be a scientist, but you at least have to look like you know what you’re doing. For Ryan Gosling, that turned out to be a little trickier than expected while filming the new book-to-screen adaptation of Project Hail Mary. Because, as it turns out, the “space math” wasn’t exactly clicking, but luckily, the production found a little trick to get him through.

In an interview with Discussing Film on X, Gosling admitted that the complex equations his character had to solve on screen were a real challenge. That’s especially true in scenes where he’s at a whiteboard, working through advanced calculations that are meant to look completely legitimate. As he explained:

That’s an honestly brilliant workaround. To make sure the difficult math was accurate, and rather than forcing Gosling to memorize dense equations or somehow learn to solve them on the fly, the production leaned into a much simpler solution. Andy Weir, who wrote the original novel, essentially became The Notebook star's real-time guide.

Through a hidden earpiece, Weir would feed him the equations as he wrote them out. So while it looks like Gosling is confidently working through advanced calculations on screen, what’s actually happening is closer to live narration. It’s one of those behind-the-scenes tricks that feels almost too simple, but it solves a very real problem.

That commitment to getting the details right clearly paid off. As Scientific American noted, the film makes a real effort to ground its science in accuracy, with Weir not only helping the lead with equations, but even stepping in on set to correct terminology and ensure that the math and physics actually make sense. The result reflects a level of scientific authenticity that even the best sci-fi movies don’t attempt.

Project Hail Mary doesn’t just throw complex ideas at the 2026 movie calendar and hope for the best. It finds that sweet spot where the science feels real, but never overwhelming. The result is a movie that stays true to its roots without losing people along the way, making even its most complicated moments feel approachable, engaging, and, honestly, pretty fun to follow. And sure, famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson might find some quibbles with the math and science, but when doesn’t he? Clearly, the movie is resonating with audiences, as it had a stunning opening weekend and shows no signs of slowing down as we head into its second week in theaters.

Project Hail Mary is playing in theaters now, so be sure to check your local listings for show times.

Anyone who has read (or at least started) Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary in the lead-up to the new book-to-screen adaptation starring Ryan Gosling knows that there’s a whole lot of "sci" in this sci-fi. I have to admit that, going into it, I was intimidated by the science at the core of this hotly anticipated release on the 2026 movie schedule, as there are some very complex topics, issues, and situations at the core of the new space adventure. That said, I was so off base with those fears.

Without giving too much away (I don’t want to spoil anything), this critically acclaimed sci-fi spectacle is one of those movies that finds the perfect balance between science and accessibility, making it both accessible and enlightening without sacrificing either. If you’ve been on the fence because of this, take a look at what I have to say.

This Movie Takes Complex Topics And Makes Them Easy To Understand

Full disclosure: I started reading Project Hail Mary a couple of years ago, and for one reason or another, I never finished it. It’s not because it was too complex a book to read, as it’s quite entertaining, but it does throw a lot at the reader. From spending the opening pages with Ryland Grace trying to make sense of his surroundings after waking up on a spaceship following a long coma to flashbacks about the life cycle of Astrophage (the microorganism eating energy from the sun) to a ton of math in both timelines, it’s easy to get your wires crossed.

After watching the new sci-fi movie and having some time to digest it all, I have to say that Drew Goddard’s adaptation and the direction by Phil Lord and Chris Miller make this an easy-to-follow (and understand) adventure where you never really get lost in the science. It’s similar to The Martian (also written by Andy Weir and adapted by Goddard) in that it gives you enough information to make sense of the plot but not so much that you’re sitting in a theater with a calculator or pen and pencil.

This Doesn’t Necessarily Mean The Movie Dumbs Anything Down

Just like Ryland Grace speaking with his students early in the movie and making them work to get the answer, Project Hail Mary doesn’t dumb everything down. If you’re worried about some of the book’s more intricate scientific qualities (especially those scenes where Ryland is trying to make the astrophage mate in the lab), those sequences are still there, but just made easier to follow. Instead of including all the nitty-gritty details or eliminating them altogether and saying something along the lines of “Science happened,” the movie finds a good middle ground.

That said, I’m sure Neil DeGrasse Tyson is going to have issues with the math and sciences, but that shouldn’t be a problem for audiences. While it is true that you have to think, you don’t have to think so hard that you lose track of the comedy and emotion at the heart of this fun-loving and eye-popping space adventure.

The best movie Easter eggs rarely exist purely to mess with one person on set. And yet somehow, one of those made it all the way into Project Hail Mary, which is now playing on the 2026 movie calendar. According to the movie's star Ryan Gosling, there is one line he ad-libbed to troll his cameraman that made it into the final film, and it's incredible.

Thanks to a recent interview clip shared by HitRadioUK on Instagram, we now know Gosling’s favorite Rocky line in the movie comes when his character, Ryland Grace, is talking with his alien companion about a failed relationship. At one point, he mentions that his ex is now with someone named Mark. Rocky, being the supportive (and very literal) friend that he is, fires back with a simple response:

So yes, that line exists in the highly anticipated adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel because Ryan Gosling casually name-dropped a longtime collaborator mid-scene, and everyone else rolled with it. That alone is great, but the fact that it’s his favorite line makes it even better.

For anyone who hasn’t been following along, Project Hail Mary centers on Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher turned astronaut who wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory, only to realize he’s on a last-ditch mission to save Earth. While some book fans have pointed out that the marketing gave away the reveal that he teams up with an alien named Rocky, the character is clearly a major part of the film’s charm, bringing both humor and heart to the story.

What’s kind of amazing about Ryan Gosling’s favorite Rocky line is that it doesn’t feel out of place. If anything it fits perfectly with the tone of Project Hail Mary, especially the dynamic between Grace and Rocky. That’s partly thanks to James Ortiz, who not only performed Rocky physically but also voiced the character. His chemistry with Gosling clearly left room for improvisation, which is how a moment like this could even happen in the first place.

And that flexibility seems to have paid off. The film has been getting strong early reactions, with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score out of the gate, suggesting audiences are connecting with both the spectacle and the character-driven moments. The flick blasted off on opening night with $11 million domestically, leading to one heck of a debut weekend.

And then there’s “Rocky hate Mark,” which is exactly the kind of Easter egg most viewers will miss the first time around. But once you know the story behind it, it becomes even better. What started as a simple improv moment between collaborators has turned into a lasting inside joke, one that feels destined to become a small but memorable part of the film’s legacy.

Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Project Hail Mary. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

A big part of what makes Project Hail Mary (both the movie and Andy Weir's superb novel) such a satisfying story is seeing characters confronted with conflicts and work methodically and intelligently to solve them. Alien microbe eating the sun? Figure out what it is and why it's doing what it's doing. Find a distant sun that's unaffected by said microbe? Find a way to travel there. Find the microbe's predator but need to adjust its atmospheric tolerances? Perform selective breeding experiments. Like The Martian (also sourced to Weir), it makes hard science compelling, cool… and sometimes a bit weird.

It can be said that just about all of the most important parts of the source material are kept intact for the big screen experience, making Project Hail Mary a mostly successful adaptation of the book, but there's some standout cut material that I miss, including what can unequivocally be called the nastiest aspect of the ending. Folks who are familiar with the novel surely already know what I'm here to talk about: me burgers.

For those who haven't read the book, I'll briefly explain: when Grace makes the decision to send the beetles off to Earth with Taumoeba so that he can go rescue Rocky and every living thing on Erid, he does so thinking that he is once again going on a suicide mission. The food supply aboard the Hail Mary is limited, and there are too many poisonous materials in Rocky's food for him to safely eat. He is happy to die knowing that he managed to save life on two planets – but then Rocky comes up with the solution for him to eat Taumoeba.

Early during his stay on Erid, Grace lives entirely off of Tamoeba, but that changes when scientists develop a solution. They take a sample of his muscle tissue, replicate it, and process it as a meat that he can consume. So when he references "me burgers," it's a discussion of burgers he is eating where the patty is technically made out of his own ground human flesh. There is no getting around the word "cannibal."

Is this totally disgusting? You'll get no argument from me; referring back to the headline will remind you that I think this is super gross. That being said, I also think it's both fascinating and necessary for the story. On the former front, it's a perfect illustration of the kind of problem solving that makes Andy Weir's writing so much fun. And as for the latter, the whole question of "What is Grace eating while living on Erid?" is left unaddressed, and that's a reasonable plot hole that movie-goers shouldn't have to go back to the source material to answer.

At the end of the day, I don't know why it was cut (One detail too many for the two-and-a-half hour-long feature? No proper way to deliver the exposition? Perhaps it was too intense an idea for a PG-13 blockbuster?), but I do know I wish it was left in.

Spoilers for both the book and the book-to-screen adaptation of Project Hail Mary are ahead! Read with caution, and go see the movie in theaters.

If you read Project Hail Mary without knowing much about it, the reveal of Rocky is a massive surprise. However, I never thought it was the biggest shock of the story. The big twist to me was centered around the question: Why was Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher, sent to space? Well, the answer is complex and tragic in both Andy Weir’s novel and the film that just premiered on the 2026 movie schedule.

However, there’s one detail from the book about Ryland’s reason for going to space that was left out of the movie, and I really wish it had been included.

In The Movie, Ryland Grace Is Picked Because He’s The Only One Who Knows The Science

Along with Project Hail Mary’s stunning visuals and standout performance from Ryan Gosling, it also brilliantly lays out a mystery about how his character, Ryland, ended up in space.

Then, eventually, it’s revealed that he didn’t opt into this mission. No, he was forced into it. After two astronauts died in preparation for it, they needed replacements. Ryland was really the only scientist who knew the material well enough to conduct the biology necessary for this mission. So, Stratt decided to send him.

He was their only hope. However, he didn’t want to be and refused to go. That wasn’t an option, though, and he was ultimately forced onto the spaceship against his will. That all happens in the book, too; however, there’s another reason Ryland was chosen that isn’t addressed at all in the movie.

In The Book, There’s Also A Genetic Reason Why Ryland Grace Is Chosen To Go To Space

Now, there’s no question that Project Hail Mary was one of the big 2026 adaptations I was the most excited about, and PHM does live up to its stellar reviews. However, leaving one detail about why Ryland was chosen to go to space out of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s movie disappointed me just a little bit.

So, in Andy Weir’s novel, it’s established that a certain gene combination is needed to survive the coma the astronauts would go into during their journey. That severely limits the number of people eligible for the mission. However, one person who does have those genes is Ryland. Therefore, when they lose some of the people who were supposed to go to space, Stratt makes the call to put Ryland on the ship. That leads to the following conversation in the novel:

“The decision’s been made,” Stratt said. “Really, the decision made itself. There’s no time to train a specialist in everything they need to know. There’s just too much information and research to learn. Even the most brilliant scientists wouldn’t be able to glean all of it in just three days. And remember, only about one in seven thousand people have the gene combination to be coma-resistant.”

That's when Ryland "got a sinking feeling" and realized that Stratt was talking about him. She then confirmed that, noting that his tests for this gene were positive. In short, he was "that one in seven thousand."

By adding this genetic element, Ryland becomes quite literally the only person capable of doing this mission after the unfortunate loss of the others. Or at least that’s how I felt. So, when Stratt forces him to do it, he denies her, and then he is eventually sedated and taken on to the ship; it hits like a ton of bricks in multiple different ways.

From Stratt’s view, I understand why she makes him go. He’s their only hope. From Ryland’s point of view, being sent on a suicide mission like this against my will is unfathomable. So, the emotional toll of this choice was heavy and hard to bear.

It’s like that in the movie too. However, without the one in seven thousand genetic combination, the circumstances they’ve found themselves in are a bit less severe. Obviously, Ryland still is one of the only people for the job, but it’s not quantified in the same way.

So, yes, I do really wish this detail about his genes had been in the movie.

Ryan Gosling has plenty of excellent movies under his belt, though some of his flicks have arguably left greater marks on pop culture than others. One of the most notable titles in Gosling’s filmography is actually one of his earliest big-screen appearances – Remember the Titans. The Denzel Washington-led historical drama is one of the best sports movies, and Gosling is still remembered for his role as cornerback Alan Bosley. Still, I’m surprised that nearly 25 years later, fans are still making jokes at Gosling’s expense.

Anyone who’s seen Titans, which hit theatres in 2000, is probably aware of the fact that Bosley has a shaky time playing for T. C. Williams High School. Alan couldn’t hit plays as called by his coaches and, ultimately, he was deemed a “liability” on the field. That designation has apparently stuck with Gosling all the years, based on comments he made during his recent appearance on the New Heights podcast. Shortly after co-hosts Jason and Travis Kelce intro’d him and mentioned the sports film, the Canadian actor said:

Just as Gosling himself is cognizant of his character’s athletic shortcomings so are fans of the film. The Half Nelson star went on to explain to the Kelce brothers (whose podcast is shared to YouTube) just how his role as Bosley has followed over the past two decades, and I wasn’t expecting to hear this:

That level of trolling definitely says a lot, especially considering what Gosling has accomplished in the years since he suited up for Boaz Yakin’s beloved sports movie. Of course, I’d be tempted to assume that most of this joking is done out of sheer love for the film and a genuine level of affection for Gosling’s character (who really is a liability). The fact that jokes are still coming the A-lister’s way after all these years is also a testament to the overall staying power of this wonderful Black-led movie.

Set in 1971, Remember the Titans focuses heavily on late coach Herman Boone (played by Denzel Washington) as he, alongside Bill Yoast (Will Patton) seeks to integrate T.C. Williams’ football team. The ultimate result is a story that’s about sportsmanship and resilience as well as the value of recognizing one’s humanity. While it still stands as one of Washington’s most iconic films, it also features a slew of then-young-stars like Gosling, Donald Faison, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst and Hayden Panettiere.

In short, Yakin’s film is a classic, and it remains a highly rewatchable piece of work. Of course, as people rewatch or seek out the movie for the first time, they’ll learn that Ryan Gosling’s character is a liability on the corners (a fact the star humorously reiterated at the tail end of his New Heights interview as well). I have to say, Gosling is an actor I really enjoy watching, but what I also really love is his keen sense of humor and self-awareness, which are what his thoughts on the football-related trolling reflect.

Check out Remember the Titans, which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription.

Warning! Warning! Warning! There Are Spoilers Ahead for Project Hail Mary!

There was a clear divide in the theater when I saw Project Hail Mary, the latest blockbuster on the 2026 movie schedule. Some were old enough to have watched 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1978’s Superman on VHS over and over as a kid, and those who weren't. How do I know that? By how people laughed at a couple of jokes in the Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi flick. That first joke, especially. Here’s why it was obvious.

The Close Encounters Joke

Star Wars may have been the biggest hit in science fiction in 1977 (and of all time), but Close Encounters of the Third Kind, directed by Steven Spielberg, wasn’t all that far behind, finishing, appropriately, third in the year-end box office numbers (Smokey and the Bandit was between the two). It hasn’t been the most enduring of Spielberg’s movies over the years, but that’s what makes the joke in Project Hail Mary so funny–and why the smattering of Gen-Xers around the theater all laughed, while others seemed to have the joke go over their head (and I don’t mean that as an insult).

The most famous moments in Close Encounters of the Third Kind come when the invading aliens first play a five-note phrase of music (written, of course, by John Williams), and later, when humans figure out that they are trying to communicate with those tones. In Project Hail Mary, Grace (Gosling) attempts to do the same with Rocky, humming those famous notes for him as they learn to communicate with each other through the glass. It’s a fleeting joke, but one that really resonates with anyone who loves Close Encounters.

The Superman Joke

Later in the movie, which fans have been loving, Grace and Rocky build a habitat using panes of glass. As they are building it, Grace picks up a pane and smushes his face against it, and says that he feels like he’s in “the Phantom Zone.” Now, this is a joke that you don’t need to be steeped in Gen X culture to get. 1978’s Superman (and its sequel) is still wildly popular among people of all ages, and while James Gunn and David Corenswet re-invented Big Blue in their excellent version last summer, for many, Christopher Reeve will always be the GOAT.

The joke, of course, refers to the opening scene of Superman when General Zod, Ursa, and Non are condemned to the Phantom Zone. The criminals are confined in a floating glass prison that traverses the universe, with their screaming faces smushed against the glass, until they are freed by a nuclear explosion near Earth at the beginning of Superman II. Grace doesn’t have to dig as deep into late-’70s culture for this one, but it resonates the same way.

Drew Goddard, who wrote the script for the book-to-screen adaptation, was born in 1975, as were directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Andy Weir, who wrote the book Project Hail Mary, was born in ‘72. All from Generation X. It’s easy to see how these two jokes made it into the movie, and why Gen-Xers like me were delighted to see them.

When it comes to book-to-screen adaptations, I know that changes are going to have to be made as part of adapting the story. I'm prepared enough for that every time, but it's not often that I have a specific hope that a movie based on a book I love -- one of my all-time favorite reads, in this case -- will change something for the adaptation. Well, that's what happened with Project Hail Mary, which has finally arrived on the 2026 movie schedule. There was one thing I hoped the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s book would do, that really couldn't be done in the novel, and it's like I wished it into existence, because it happened!

That's as vague as I can be without getting into MAJOR book and movie spoilers for Project Hail Mary and its ending. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I strongly suggest you check it out before reading any further. If you’re still on the fence, check out Eric’s review of PHM.

The Thing The Book Couldn’t Show Us

Like the movie, Andy Weir's novel ends with Ryland Grace going back to save Rocky, and then returning to Erid (Rocky's home world), to live there for the foreseeable future. Also like in the movie, Grace learns that Earth is OK, and the Sun is no longer being devoured by astrophage. Good, good, good! What the book doesn't include is a glimpse of Stratt's reaction to what Grace sent back with the beetles.

In the book, we're in Ryland's perspective the entire time, and because the story ends with him living on Erid, there's no way for him to actually see the fruits of his labor, therefore, we don’t either. Rocky tells him the Sun is restored, and he gets to live with the knowledge that what he did worked. I get why the book couldn't show us Earth at the end of the story, but I also really hoped the movie would, since it isn't bound to one point of view.

Stratt’s Final Scene In The Movie

Part of the ending of the film shows an older Stratt on a boat watching Ryland's video of himself introducing Rocky. He also sent her the little Xenonite figurine of himself that Rocky made, which is not only an adorably thoughtful keepsake, it also provides her with her very own sample of Xenon in solid form. And to top it off, Grace closes out his message with the Eridian gesture for goodbye (another bit that wasn't in the book).

I love Eva Stratt in the book and the movie. It isn't just her relationship with Ryland Grace that I appreciate, it's the way this woman handles the decisions she has to make that gets me. As I saw her in the book, she's carrying the weight of humanity's future on her shoulders, which pretty much leaves her no room to shoulder the weight of the decisions she has to make to save Earth.

But, it also seems clear that she knows the burden of those choices will be waiting for her to process once the job is done. Sandra Hüller does such a great job of bringing the character to life in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's adaptation of the story. Some changes related to Stratt were made, but I think the film absolutely did the greatness of the character justice.

With that in mind, I really love that Project Hail Mary let us see Stratt one last time, because this is her win, too. I like to think that Ryland's message to her might help alleviate any guilt she could feel at some point about forcing him to go on the mission. She knew she had to do it, but at the same time, I don't think that means she wanted to, so to see him again, and this time when he isn't angry or scared, has to be a relief (on top of all of the information he sent about how to save humanity, obviously).

Stratt being alive and able to know everything that Ryland Grace did, and that he survived, was always part of my headcanon for the book, but I love-love-love that we actually got to see it in the movie.

It’s rare when a non-franchise movie is poised to not just win a box office weekend, but potentially become a smash hit that could become one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. And yet, we may be about to see just that as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary has reportedly put together a preview night box office gross on par with the likes of Christopher Nolan.

Project Hail Mary Outperformed Oppenheimer In Early Box Office Previews

According to Deadline, Project Hail Mary had a fantastic start to its box office run last night as the movie put up receipts somewhere in the neighborhood of $11 million. This is a notable number that puts it slightly ahead of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which scored $10.5 million, and F1, which came in at $10 million. It’s well ahead of Sinners, which was last year’s highest-grossing original at the domestic box office, which brought in $4.7 million in previews.

Oppenheimer would go on to gross nearly $1 billion at the global box office, and it would do so with very stiff competition in the form of Barbie, which would break the billion-dollar mark. Project Hail Mary won’t see that kind of competition. The only other major studio release this weekend is Searchlight’s Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which is looking to do about $11 million total in domestic business on opening weekend. Project Hail Mary is expected to see an opening of around $60 million domestically and $100 million globally.

Can Project Hail Mary Break Oppenheimer's Opening Weekend Record Too?

Oppenheimer currently holds the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend of a non-franchise film, at just over $82 million. While the record seems secure based on projections, Project Hail Mary’s Thursday night numbers are a bit higher than had been projected, so it’s possible the film could outperform expectations. Becoming the highest-grossing non-franchise movie ever would be a tall order, but it doesn’t appear impossible.

There is another key area where Hail Mary is outperforming Oppenheimer, and that’s word of mouth. While both movies have Rotten Tomatoes scores with critics and fans that are in the 90% range, Project Hail Mary is actually slightly ahead of Oppenheimer on both counts. If a strong critical response to Project Hail Mary or positive word of mouth compels people to the theater, especially to see the movie in more expensive large formats like IMAX, we could see a big opening weekend here.

Of course, the difference between a movie making money and making a lot of money is about the movie’s success over multiple weeks. The real question is whether Project Hail Mary will have the legs to put up great box office numbers for weeks to come.

There are major movie franchises, and then there's Star Wars. Generations grew up with the galaxy far, far away, which is still releasing new content in theaters and for those with a Disney+ subscription. A few highly anticipated upcoming Star Wars movies are on the way, including Shawn Levy's Starfighter. Ryan Gosling is the protagonist of that project, which is why he's so bummed that he was absent the day Tom Cruise came to visit. Talk about FOMO.

Back in August, we got our first look at Gosling in Starfighter, and fans who have spent years watching the Star Wars movies in order have been patiently awaiting new information. During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he spoke about the day Tom Cruise himself visited the set, lamenting:

Talk about a bummer. Since he's top of the call sheet, I have to assume that Gosling was called to set more than he wasn't. But unfortunately, fate was not on his side in the midst of Starfighter's production, as he wasn't there when the Mission: Impossible icon breezed through the galaxy. And he was understandably disappointed in that turn of events.

Only time will tell if Starfighter becomes one of Ryan Gosling's best movies, but anticipation for the blockbuster is high, especially thanks to its killer cast and Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy in the director's chair. Later in the same interview, the Barbie actor spoke about Cruise's grand entrance onto the set, saying:

Not only did Cruise get to join the set, but he actually got behind the camera and helped to shoot a scene for the Star Wars flick. This must have been a pinch-me moment for everyone involved... although Ryan Gosling was noticeably absent. He continued speaking about how his young co-star Flynn Gray got to work with the Top Gun icon, offering:

In the chat with Josh Horowitz, Gosling mentioned that he was on set basically every day throughout Starfighter's principal photography. And yet he still missed the day Tom Cruise flew into the fray. He joked about this coincidence, saying:

Is there a secret Tom Cruise/ Ryan Gosling beef we don't know about? Probably not, but it's hard not to feel for the La La Land actor for missing this exciting day on set. We'll just have to see if Cruise ends up seeing the Star Wars flick.

Star Wars: Starfighter is currently set to arrive in theaters on May 28th, 2027. Since it's not part of the 2026 movie release list, fans are going to have to try and be patient. Luckily, another movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is arriving this year on May 22nd.

In an era that has seen cinemas dominated by franchises more than ever before, it’s fairly rare for a movie that isn’t a sequel to anything to be as highly anticipated as Project Hail Mary has been. Since the first trailer, the movie has promised to be one of the first must-see films on the 2026 movie calendar and the sort of science fiction spectacle we haven’t seen since the last time an Andy Weir novel was adapted for the screen.

Matt Damon got an Oscar nomination for his work in The Martian, a movie that was very much a one-man show for the actor. While Ryan Gosling is similarly the only actor on screen for a lot of Project Hail Mary, he does have a co-star in the film, and the two of them are getting a lot of praise from critics.

However, in this particular case, Gosling’s co-star is a puppet. While some saw the character’s reveal as a spoiler, it’s well understood now that Project Hail Mary sees Gosling’s character working alongside an alien as they both attempt to solve the same problem threatening both of their planets. In our own Project Hail Mary review, Eric Eisenberg says the relationship between the two characters is one thing the movie adapts perfectly from the original text. He said…

While the primary plot driver of Project Hail Mary is an extra-terrestrial threat that has the potential to wipe out all life on Earth, the actual story is much more self-contained. It’s about two characters, from different planets, who decide to work together to try and save both their worlds. Despite the fact that one of the characters has no discernible face and looks like a sentient stone, as Collider points out, the relationship between Gosling’s Grace and his alien friend Rocky is what the audience will connect with…

The friendship between Grace and Rocky isn’t the only thing Project Hail Mary has on offer, however. The Los Angeles Times, while it does praise the relationship, also takes a moment to call out the unique score and the cinematography, because you can’t have a great science fiction movie without sweeping images of deep space…

While nearly every review for Project Hail Mary is positive, that’s not to say that every review is entirely glowing. The Independent opens its review critical of the fact that, perhaps in trying to be a film on par with some of the best science fiction movies ever, it feels a bit too much like them, saying…

Meanwhile, IGN thinks that Project Hail Mary perhaps outstays its welcome a bit, as the film continues on past the point where it probably should have rolled the credits…

Based on the response of both critics and fans who got early screenings, Project Hail Mary appears to be one of the first movies of the year that is truly worth getting to a theater to see. It looks amazing on a big screen, even if what makes the movie truly shine is a great deal smaller.

With Project Hail Mary arriving in theaters this weekend and already getting positive reviews (including ours!), now seemed like the best time to put together a Ryan Gosling crossword puzzle for this week's movie quiz. There are some easier questions and a few tricky ones among the clues, all of which have to do with Gosling's acting roles throughout the years (and one coming up). If you've been a fan of Ryan Gosling since the start of his movie career, you should be able to get most (if not all) of these clues.

In the last few years, Ryan Gosling has most definitely been on a "feel good movie" kick. While the actor has earned acclaim for dark and serious dramas like Drive, Blue Valentine, and Half Nelson his last three features have been full of joy: the pink-hues of Greta Gerwig's Barbie, the fun action of David Leitch's The Fall Guy, and the undeniable optimism of Phil Lord and Chris Miller's Project Hail Mary. It's a standout streak for him, and also not an accident or a coincidence.

Gosling, with wife Eva Mendes, has now been a parent for over a decade, and when CinemaBlend sat down with him during the recent press day for Project Hail Mary, he explained that it's had an impact on his project choices. The upcoming 2026 movie is designed in the vein of classic blockbusters for all audiences, and that's exactly the kind of stuff that he is currently into making. Said the actor,

Project Hail Mary is certainly a film brimming with optimism… albeit with the threat of some serious darkness. The movie begins as a mysterious microscopic organism is discovered in space consuming the energy of the sun, and should their activity go unimpeded, it would mean extinction for every species on Earth. That's the scary part; the hopeful part is that the threat results in countries from around the world working together to try and discover a solution – which ultimately results in Ryan Gosling's Ryland Grace being put onto an interstellar ship and sent to the Tao Ceti star system.

The effort is not without some conflict (obviously), but there is also no wallowing in despair. The protagonist is a scientist who wishes to do everything he can to work the problem until it's solved, and Ryan Gosling loves that not only about Project Hail Mary but also other works by author Andy Weir (who also wrote the book The Martian, adapted in 2017 by director Ridley Scott). The actor continued,

If you haven't read Andy Weir's books, I highly recommend doing so for a major dose of the energy Ryan Gosling describes. This includes not only both Project Hail Mary and The Martian, but also his second novel Artemis (which has not yet been adapted).

While you add all of those books to your "To Be Read" stack, you can check out Project Hail Mary in theaters this Friday, March 20 – and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming days and weeks, as we have plenty more coverage of the movie on the way.

Yes, Harrison Ford was asked if he had ever “made love to the soundtrack” of his own films. The question alone was shocking; however, it was even more surprising that the Indiana Jones star answered it. Now, after that whole interaction went viral, Ford’s Blade Runner 2049 co-star Ryan Gosling was asked about this situation while promoting his latest project on the 2026 movie schedule. As expected, the Project Hail Mary star had an A+ reaction.

What Harrison Ford Said When He Was Asked If He’s Had Sex To His Own Films’ Soundtracks

OK, this all happened because Harrison Ford was asked about singing the Indiana Jones theme on Shrinking (which you can see with an Apple TV subscription). During his interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor claimed that he didn’t remember if that bit was his idea or not. So, as a follow-up, Jimmy Kimmel asked:

Well, that was certainly a turn. However, Ford took it all in stride and with his signature dry sense of humor. In response, the Star Wars actor simply (and hilariously) said:

There was no follow-up, ellaboration or explanation; the guys moved on to talk more about Shrinking, seeing as it's currently airing on the 2026 TV schedule. However, the short response did go viral.

So, naturally, as Ryan Gosling has been promoting the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation of Project Hail Mary, he got asked the same question his Blade Runner 2049 co-star got on the talk show.

How Ryan Gosling Reacted To That Question And Harrison Ford’s Answer

Now, you might be wondering how all this came up with Ryan Gosling. Well, when he appeared on New Heights, Jason Kelce asked him about his co-star's viral moment during their segment called “We Gotta Ask.” The older Kelce brother laid out that Ford had said he had sex to his own films’ soundtracks, and then he asked Gosling if he had made love to his own movies’ music. In response, the Barbie actor said:

Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce and Gosling all laughed at that answer as well as Ford’s initial response. However, the Crazy Stupid Love star wasn’t done talking about it yet. After confirming that he has not made love to songs like “City of Stars” or “I’m Just Ken,” the Oscar nominee noted that it actually makes sense that the Shrinking actor said he has had sex to his projects' music, explaining:

Harrison Ford really is that guy, and he’s known for blunt and occasionally wild statements. There’s also a bunch of stories about him that add to his ever-expanding and entertaining lore.

For example, right after Gosling confirmed that he had not had sex to his own movies’ music, he told the story of the time Ford punched him while they were working on Blade Runner 2049. He also explained that as the crew was trying to get him ice for his wound, his co-star took his ice away and said, “I forgive you.” Yet again, an iconic one-liner from the movie star that is equal parts unexpected and hilarious. Now, the punch isn’t in Blade Runner 2049; however, the funny story has lived on.

I expect this odd conversation about music in the bedroom to live on, too. Overall, I can’t get over that Ryan Gosling was asked about Harrison Ford’s viral claim. I also love that he didn’t just answer the question for himself; he also explained why his colleague's response was so on brand.

Now, if you want to see this sense of humor from Ford on screen, you can catch new episodes of Shrinking on Apple TV every Wednesday. Meanwhile, if you want to see Gosling in his latest movie and hear its brilliant score (which the actor will almost certainly not be listening to in the bedroom), you can catch Project Hail Mary in theaters starting March 20.

As of late, Ryan Gosling has been promoting his latest film – the 2026 movie schedule entry Project Hail Mary. Over the years, Gosling has found truly creative and funny ways to drum up buzz for his films, and that’s certainly been the case this time around as well. One of the more recent pieces of promo for the Phil Lord and Chris Miller-directed book-to-screen adaptation really takes the cake, though. Gosling used the film to somewhat create his well-known La La Land poster, and the results are downright perfect.

It’s honestly surreal to think that this year will mark the 10th anniversary of La La Land, so it’s somewhat appropriate that Gosling wants to take a moment to pay homage that poster. The original one-sheet for Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning musical dramedy shows Gosling’s character (Sebastian) in mid dance with Emma Stone’s character (Amelia). In lampooning that poster, Gosling decided to strike that same pose but do it alongside the alien Rocky from Project Hail Mary. A BTS clip of the shoot was shared to Instagram:

Given that I’m someone who loves a good parody or an instance in which someone merely finds a quirky way to honor a film or TV show, this really speaks to me. I love that the Hail Mary marketing team put in the effort to make all of this happen. What really makes me smile is to see the puppeteer for Rocky working his magic to help position the character accordingly. I’d say that the group’s efforts definitely paid off, as the finished poster is excellent:

What’s wild is that I would actually pay serious money to watch a musical in which Gosling shares scenes with a rock creature. Of course, I’m not sure Rocky could actually hold much of a tune, but the thought of such a film delights me to no end. Still, if anyone actually wants to see Gosling in a sweet musical about the highs and lows of working in Tinseltown, they can just watch the movie that inspired this Project Hail Mary poster.

La La Land remains a fixture within the pop culture lexicon (and not just because of that infamous Oscars moment involving the acclaimed Moonlight). Chazelle’s direction was praised, with critics lauding the movie for the way in which it drew from the beloved musicals of yesteryear. While Gosling has spoken highly about his experience making the movie, he’s ironically also been honest about how flubbing a pose for the poster “haunts” him. I’d say he made up for that with the new poster he just helped craft.

In all seriousness, though, dancing and singing aren’t present within Project Hail Mary. Based on Andy Weir’s 2021 novel of the same name, the movie sees Ryan Gosling play Dr. Ryland Grace, an astronaut who wakes up amidst an interstellar mission with no memory of his identity or the mission’s purpose. Thus far, early reactions to PHM have been very positive, and creatives like Edgar Wright and Josh Gad have been praising it.

So, while audiences may not actually get to see Ryan Gosling dance with Rocky against the backdrop of a moon-lit night, what they’ll get is an exciting and heartwarming space adventure. Anyone who does want to experience that still imagine it, though, while appreciating the poster that was created.

Check out Project Hail Mary when it soars into theaters on March 20. In the meantime, fans can also stream La La Land with a Prime Video subscription.

Ryan Gosling returned to Studio 8H last weekend to host Saturday Night Live for a fourth time on the 2026 TV schedule. Not surprisingly, he did a fantastic job and broke many times (in fact, that was deliberate in one of them). He seems to be a pro at it now, especially since next time he’ll be inducted into the elite Five-Timers Club, but he wasn’t always like that. The Project Hail Mary star opened up about some intimidating words of wisdom he received from former SNL cast member Mike Myers, which he got from original cast member Gilda Radner.

It’s been just over 10 years since Gosling made his SNL debut in December 2015, but he still remembers it like it was yesterday. Just days after hosting for the fourth time, the actor appeared on the BBC’s The One Show, and he was asked how much he loves hosting Saturday Night Live. In response, Gosling recalled some words he received from Myers, which he received from Radner, and it sounds as intimidating as ever:

Hosting Saturday Night Live is not for the faint of heart, nor is being a cast member on the show. And even though Gosling was just hosting and not joining the cast, the wisdom seemed to work all the same. Of course, no one would know how much of a monster SNL is better than an original cast member like Radner, and knowing that Myers took her words to heart and has probably passed them on to more than just Gosling is pretty great.

Radner, who tragically passed away far too soon in 1989, was in the first five seasons of SNL, and her legacy has lived on. And not just because Sarah Sherman’s residual checks were being sent to her estate. Bill Murray, who joined the cast in Season 2 and stayed on through Season 5, emotionally remembered her and the late John Belushi during SNL’s 50^th anniversary special last year. Emma Stone has also opened up in the past about how much she looks up to Radner, even paying tribute to her during the show’s 40^th anniversary special by dressing up as her iconic Weekend Update character, Roseanne Roseannadanna.

Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling seems to have taken Myers and Radner’s wisdom to heart, because he has definitely killed it every time he’s on SNL. Each episode he hosts has turned out to be hilarious, especially since he breaks so easily. There’s also his viral Beavis and Butt-Head sketch, the last time he hosted, that nearly made a comeback last weekend. And I can’t wait to see him host again.

I hope that in the future Gosling passes down Radner’s wisdom to someone else, whether a first-time host or new cast member, if he hasn’t done so already. The wisdom may be intimidating, but it’s also quite the motivation, and it’s a way to keep Radner’s memory alive. Fans can watch all episodes of SNL with a Peacock subscription, including those with Radner, Myers, and Gosling.

Margot Robbie went to some creative lengths to convince Ryan Gosling to sign on for the blockbuster Barbie. Considering how iconic his Ken performance ultimately became, his love for working on the flick, and how huge the movie turned out to be, it’s safe to say the effort paid off. But the story behind how she got him to say yes led to a hilarious moment when Robbie described buying him a present every single day, and watching Jacob Elordi, her Wuthering Heights co-star, find out is devastating.

As can be seen in an Instagram clip shared by channel10au, Robbie and Jacob Elordi appeared on The Graham Norton Show alongside Amanda Seyfried while promoting their 2026 movie calendar release. During the conversation, she explained that Gosling didn’t immediately jump at the chance to play Ken. In fact, convincing him to join the project required a bit of persistence and a very unusual promise. You can check out the lengths she went to in the video below.

The Suicide Squad star explained that she went to some pretty extreme lengths to negotiate with Gosling, getting him to join the film. At one point in her efforts to win Gosling over, she made a bold promise in an email. She shared:

Naturally, that led to the obvious follow-up question from the couch: What kind of gifts do you even give someone on a movie set every day? Robbie explained that the whole thing turned into a fun running joke during production. Each day, she’d leave something small in Gosling’s trailer labeled as a gift from Barbie to Ken. She continued:

That’s when the moment became comedy gold. As the realization hit that her Wuthering Heights co-lead was sitting right beside her while she described this elaborate gift campaign for Gosling, the entire couch erupted into laughter. Amanda Seyfried didn’t hesitate to pile on either, jokingly pointing out that the situation wasn’t the Australian native’s fault. “That was you. That was on you,” Seyfried told Elordi. Elordi, meanwhile, responded with perfectly timed deadpan delivery:

Of course, the Wolf of Wall Street breakout actress’s bribery campaign clearly worked out in the end. Gosling’s Ken became one of the standout elements of Barbie, streaming with an HBO Max subscription, helping turn the movie into a cultural phenomenon and one of the year's biggest box office hits. Still, it’s pretty funny to imagine the Oscar-nominated actor opening his trailer door each day to find another small surprise waiting for him.

And, if nothing else, the moment on The Graham Norton Show may have revealed a useful casting strategy for Robbie going forward. Though if Jacob Elordi signs on to another project with her, he might want to negotiate for the daily gifts upfront next time.

Meanwhile, the newly released book-to-screen adaptation of the classic Gothic romance Wuthering Heights, which marks Robbie and Elordi’s latest collaboration, is currently playing in theaters. Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.

Adapting books as movies has been in practice for pretty much as long as the latter have existed, but the reality is that the two mediums have very different and independent storytelling capacities. There’s the matter of perspective: prose can take a reader into the minds of characters in ways in which films aren’t capable (without violently abusing voice over narration at least). And then there’s the matter of scope: there is no real limit for the length of a novel, but a feature is expected to be three hours at maximum (and the average is about an hour shorter). A perfectly faithful adaptation is an impossibility.

I have been reminding myself of all those facts for the last two years – which is the amount of time I spent between finishing Project Hail Mary by author Andy Weir and awaiting the adaptation from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. I adore the novel and always recognized a movie version would be difficult. In addition to its length and plot complexity, it sports a non-linear narrative built on the protagonist’s recovered memories. I’ve always had complete confidence in the work of the talented Lord and Miller (not to mention screenwriter Drew Goddard)... but I’ve also known that my experience watching the film would be a study of alterations, cuts, and general comparisons.

My conclusion: I hate to be the “book is better” guy, but a few dings to an otherwise phenomenal story still makes for a really great film.

There are some key excised elements that are missed, a lesser degree of competency porn than expected, and what feel like some missed opportunities, but what’s retained is a fascinating and compelling hard sci-fi trip across the universe that keeps a special extraterrestrial friendship as its heartbeat.

Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace – a middle school teacher who wakes from a coma to find himself alone in an interstellar spacecraft called the Hail Mary that is orbiting the distant star known as Tau Ceti. At first confused and panicked with no memory of how he got there, he soon begins to recall why he is in such extreme circumstances. A mysterious microscopic lifeform dubbed Astrophage is discovered to be consuming energy from the Sun, and should their activity go unimpeded, the consequence would be the Earth cooling and experiencing an extinction event. Tau Ceti is the only studied star seemingly not dimming because of Astrophage, so Grace is sent as part of a team to understand why.

His two crewmates (Ken Leung, Milana Vayntrub) die during the journey, but the amateur astronaut doesn’t end up being isolated for long. The Hail Mary’s radar picks up the presence of another, much more massive ship in the area, and after an initial fear reaction, the protagonist ends up becoming best friends with a five-legged, dog-sized, rock spider-esque alien he names Rocky (James Ortiz).

The relationship between Grace and Rocky is just as wonderful as it is in the book.

Regardless of anything else, I knew that I would appreciate Project Hail Mary so long as it properly brought to life the phenomenal dynamic between Grace and Rocky, and the adaptation doesn’t disappoint. Say what you will about the credulity of a guy who looks like Ryan Gosling being an introverted scientist, the actor’s proven and effortless charm is perfectly utilized, and all of the emotions that he wears on his sleeve reflect the audience’s as we witness Grace’s relationship with Rocky develop – he is first terrified to discover a sentient alien being, then captivated by his new friend’s intelligence, biology and sociology, and then deeply invested in his survival and the survival of his world.

Gosling has the significant challenge of his primary scene partner being a puppet (one that doesn’t have a face, no less), but solely praising the Barbie star would be a disservice to the phenomenal work of James Ortiz, who is both the voice of Rocky and was the lead puppeteer on set. Just as in the book, the character is a brilliant goofball, but Goddard’s script does a fun job of also amping his blunt bossiness to successful comedic effect.

Project Hail Mary is every ounce the spectacle that it should be thanks to practical sets and effects.

Thanks to beautifully expressive puppeteering, there is never a single moment with Rocky on screen when you think that he is anything other than a living, breathing alien, which also adds greater verity to Gosling’s performance – but I feel like it’s also important to laud the production’s dedication to practical effects. It is far, far too common nowadays to watch sci-fi movies and television shows with shots that clearly just have performers working on chroma key sets, which are distracting and look cheap, but Project Hail Mary has an extra authenticity lent to it because everything seems tactile.

This isn’t a knock on the movie’s visual effects either, because there is plenty of brilliance in that realm as well. Lord and Miller and the artists working under them include a number of interstellar shots that are not simply jaw-dropping in their beauty but reflect the stunning immensity of the cosmos. The deep love for the mystery and expanse of the universe that is featured in the book is well-reflected in the blockbuster’s cinematography.

Effort is appreciated, but I can’t help but miss the parts of the book that didn’t make the cut for the movie.

The film looks like what I saw in my mind reading the book, and while Sandra Hüller’s Eva Stratt doesn’t quite have the coarseness of her literary counterpart, the various characters’ journeys are exactly what they need to be for the big screen experience. I’m very happy with it as a presentation of Andy Weir’s novel… but I also can’t help but miss a variety of things that Drew Goddard had to take out.

A lot of on-ship issues that Grace and Rocky face in the novel end up being skipped, and while all of the big plot points are still included and the cuts are effective in keeping the story moving, it means that Project Hail Mary isn’t nearly as satisfying as The Martian (the previous Goddard-scripted Weir adaptation) when it comes to “using science to solve problems.” There are also significantly fewer flashbacks, meaning a major reduction in the colorful characters we meet as humanity tries to stop the Astrophage-driven apocalypse, and the film is also much less effective in presenting the flashbacks as recovered memories. Nothing that is absolutely needed is missing, but I would blissfully watch a four-hour cut with all of it put back in.

I’ll admit that my opinions here may change with time. If I rewatch Project Hail Mary in a year, I may be able to better view it independently from the book and appreciate it more for what it includes instead of dinging it for what it lacks. But for right now, my deep appreciation for the book heavily colors the way in which I take in the movie, and I expect others who feel the same way are going to have a matching reaction.

Celebrity couple Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling rarely appear together in public, but they recently did amid the latter’s press tour for his 2026 movie schedule entry, Project Hail Mary. The moment in question occurred last week on The Tonight Show, during which Gosling surprised his wife – who was present at the taping – with a birthday tribute. While Mendes appreciated the love, it seemed she also wanted to be prepared for another potential shoutout during her hubby’s latest SNL hosting job and took measures to do that.

After Gosling (45) celebrated Mendes’ 52nd birthday with Jimmy Fallon and more on The Tonight Show, his adventures in New York continued, as he hosted Saturday Night Live for the fourth time. Mendes was with her man again when he was set to take the stage at Studio 8H. Only this time, she was prepared to be brought out on stage in the event that it happened. Mendes shared a post to Instagram this week and revealed that her team gave her the full glam treatment “in case” Gosling called upon her again. Check it out:

The clip shows the Girl in Progress star sitting in a chair and having hairspray applied accordingly. Mendes’ makeup also appeared done and, in her caption, she shouted out her team for getting her ready. Based on BTS glam videos that have been released by other stars in the past, it’s clear that it takes a village to prepare someone for an event. So, based on this video and Mendes’ caption, I get the impression that she really appreciated her team coming through for her.

Also, I applaud Mendes for taking the steps to get ready on the off chance her hubby wanted to bring her on stage for his monologue or another segment of the sketch comedy series. Gosling has proven to be a cheeky performer who’s full of surprises, as his recent appearance on The Tonight Show proved. And what a moment that was.

Ryan Gosling arrived at the Jimmy Fallon-hosted talk show in full force and, near the end of his interview, he mentioned that it was Mendes’ birthday. As part of that, he apparently ensured ahead of time that the live studio audience would be filled with teachers, as Mendes has a strong appreciation for educators. They eventually called Mendes to the stage, and she shouted out the teachers, before the marching band of the New Jersey-based North Bergen High School played “Happy Birthday” for her. Take a look:

This show of affection is even sweeter considering that Eva Mendes – who’s been with Ryan Gosling for nearly 15 years and shares two daughters with him – has been hyping up his work as of late. Mendes recently celebrated Project Hail Mary with a pants-free Valentine’s Day post. Not long after that, in another Instagram post, Mendes hailed Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s sci-fi film as a “masterpiece.” After her Tonight Show tribute, she thanked the host, the crew and her hubby for making it happen.

It’s particularly sweet when couples find ways to support each other, and Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling seem to be “goals” when it comes to such gestures. Honestly, it would’ve been fun to have seen Mendes join Gosling on stage during his latest SNL appearance. Nevertheless, kudos to the actress and her team for thinking ahead in regard to a surprise shoutout.

Fans can check out Ryan Gosling’s latest work on Saturday Night Live by streaming the episode with a Peacock subscription.

When I first heard word that this past weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live cut a new Beavis & Butt-head sketch featuring host Ryan Gosling, my first reaction was admittedly relief. When the original version aired in April 2024, it was instantly recognized as an all-timer for the long-running NBC show – highlights including outstanding makeup/costuming and Heidi Gardner being unable to keep it together – and that kind of magic is hard to reproduce. After new details have come out, however, I’m rethinking my initial opinion, specifically because the sequel would have seen Sarah Sherman paying homage to Bob’s Burgers.

New info about the cancelled sketch has arrived via LateNighter, as while it didn’t make it to air, it was included in the show’s rehearsal. The sketch was going to feature Ashley Padilla as the anchor of a NewsNation segment (replacing Gardner, who left the show in mid-2025), and while it’s unclear who in the SNL cast she was going to be interviewing (a role Kenan Thompson played in the original), Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day were going to return dressed up as Beavis and Butt-head. As an extra bonus, Sarah Sherman was going to be featured as another apparently disruptive audience member with a shockingly similar appearance to Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers – presumably replete with black wig, thick-rimmed glasses, blue shirt and skirt, and plenty of awkwardness.

Here’s the good news: it’s possible that we may still get to see it. The Saturday Night Live rehearsals are filmed, and it’s occasionally the case that cut sketches end up being posted to the show’s official YouTube channel. It doesn't happen all of the time, but it's also not unheard of. At the very least, we can keep our fingers crossed that Sarah Sherman posts a shot of herself in her Tina costume to her social channels (or perhaps she can share a video that also showcases her impression of Dan Mintz’s voice, as I'm just as curious about that as her look/mannerisms in character).

While the “Beavis and Butt-head” sequel sketch hasn’t yet been uploaded, fans can enjoy a number of winners from this past weekend’s broadcast, including “Cyclops,” “Wedding Tradition” and the “Passing Notes” sketch that played as a kind of prank on Ryan Gosling and Ashley Padilla thanks to secret changes made after rehearsal. The channel also hosts the original from 2024, which is definitely worth revisiting if it’s been a minute since you last watched:

For those looking forward to more Saturday Night Live, the show is set to air a new episode at the end of this week and will feature Harry Styles as both host and musical guest. Expectations perhaps aren’t “Beavis and Butt-head”-level high, but we should get at least a couple of memorable moments.

The SNL writers played a prank on host Ryan Gosling this week. In between dress rehearsal and the live broadcast, they switched the contents of multiple notes he had to read out loud. They did the same thing to cast member Ashley Padilla and assumedly, her co-star Mikey Day. The last minute switcheroo led to a lot of mid-sketch laughing and a fun viral moment. It also provided roughly the one thousandth piece of evidence that something fans think they know about SNL is wrong.

There are few shows in the history of television that have been chronicled more extensively than Saturday Night Live. Numerous books and documentaries come out about the show every single year, and when you add that to the hundreds of interviews current and former cast members give, fans have a pretty good sense of what goes on behind the scenes at Studio 8H. They know how the production schedule works (at least when there aren’t last minute changes). They know what role the host plays in getting pitches approved, and they know what longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels tolerates and does not tolerate. Or at least they think they do.

I’m not saying fans haven’t gotten a sense of his taste over the years, but there’s this perception of him that he hates when cast members or hosts break character. He supposedly can’t stand when people laugh in the middle of sketches. I’m certainly not saying he’s encouraging people to belly laugh during every sketch, but there is a lot of evidence, especially in recent years, that he’s open, on occasion, to intentionally creating the conditions that make it more likely people will break character.

Let’s watch the sketch from last night and then talk about it as an example…

I’m not saying there’s not some humor to pull from a principal and a teacher reading embarrassing notes, but the entire goal of the sketch here was clearly to surprise Gosling and Padilla with some absolute nonsense they were not expecting. The whole point of this sketch was to make them laugh and perhaps to make Mikey Day laugh who also read a note, though he kept his composure a lot better than the other two.

The last time Gosling hosted, he, of course, went mega-viral alongside Day and Heidi Gardner for their Beavis And Butt-Head sketch, which led to the normally stone-faced Gardner losing any ability to control herself. The sketch was one of the most popular SNL has done in years, and there was a lot of talk afterwards about how Gosling has a habit of giggling during his SNL appearances. Clearly, the show decided to lean into that and try to create a similar moment.

That’s not the only example in recent years either. Perhaps the buzziest recurring sketches right now on SNL are the semi-annual joke swaps between Michael Che and Colin Jost. The entire premise of those sketches is that they haven’t seen the jokes they need to read ahead of time. That was also a huge part of what made the Stefan sketches work so well. It’s well known that John Mulaney, who conceived the character, would sometimes change the lines in between dress and the show to try and trip star Bill Hader up.

Saturday Night Live is a very organized and rehearsed show, at least for being recorded live. Michaels and company are very intentional about camera angles and line delivery. It is not a free-for-all out there. Cast members and the host are expected to hit their marks and deliver the lines as written, but this perception that the show doesn’t occasionally break those rules is wrong.

Beloved sketches like Debbie Downer and More Cowbell featured some element of cast members laughing or breaking character, and they’re spoken by everyone involved with great reverence. More than that, there are quite a few obvious examples of the show occasionally pushing people to break character by changing lines or conditions between dress rehearsal and the live show. Producers definitely push people to stay in character and stick to the script most of the time, but the perception that laughing mid-sketch is an unpardonable offense is wrong. The occasional break is not only tolerated, it’s clearly leaned into.

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have been a couple since falling in love on the set of a movie they co-starred in back in 2011, but the couple, who share two daughters together, tend to keep to themselves. However, when Gosling appeared on The Tonight Show on his partner’s birthday, he involved her in the sweetest way, and she’s making her gratitude known.

When Gosling and Mendes both turned up on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, it marked their first public appearance in over a decade. Ryan Gosling went on the show to promote one of the most anticipated 2026 movie releases, Project Hail Mary, but ended his appearance by getting a high school band and the audience full of teachers to wish his wife happy birthday. Check out her response to the gesture:

Mendes wrote the message on Instagram two days after their appearance on the late-night show. And while she was clearly appreciative of the gesture, she also ended it with "I'll get you back for this," which makes me wonder what tricks she has up her sleeve. Check out exactly what happened below:

Since Gosling plays a middle school science teacher in Project Hail Mary, the actor thought it would be fun to fill the The Tonight Show studio with real teachers for his appearance. And at the end of his interview with Fallon, he asked them if they’d sing Mendes “Happy Birthday” when she came out because of “how much she loves teachers.”

In an adorable moment on The Tonight Show, when Mendes came out, the marching band of North Bergen High School (which is in New Jersey) turned up and played the song with a big sign with her name on it while the crowd of teachers sang to her. It looks like something out of a romantic comedy, doesn’t it?

It’s kind of perfect that Eva Mendes would get some screentime while Gosling is on this specific press tour because she’s really been rooting for him and Project Hail Mary. When the first trailer for the movie went viral over the summer, Mendes joked that 399 million of the 400 million views were hers. She’s also said that she “genuinely love[s] this beautiful family film” and did a pantsless photoshoot with a t-shirt on from the movie for Valentine’s Day.

Mendes isn’t the only one praising Project Hail Mary either. Early reactions have called it a “modern classic” and one of the “greatest space adventure films of all time.” You can see Ryan Gosling play a teacher-turned-astronaut in Project Hail Mary, only in theaters starting on March 20.

The 2026 TV schedule is about to deliver a momentous event to fans: the return of Ryan Gosling as host of Saturday Night Live, in Season 51. This likely means that the new member of the not-quite Five-Timers Club (this will be his fourth stint) is going to break in at least one sketch, though we’ll have to wait and see if it will reach the comedic heights of Season 49’s Beavis and Butt-Head triumph. Now, the star has revealed the really simple pitch he got for the famed sketch.

What Was The One-Sentence Pitch For Ryan Gosling’s Beavis And Butt-Head Sketch On SNL?

If nothing else can be said about SNL, it’s that the show always manages to bring fans several sketches that enter the pop culture lexicon every season. Ryan Gosling (who’ll soon be seen in the 2026 movie release, Project Hail Mary) is hosting on March 7, and he’s been able to deliver at least one such sketch during each of his gigs on the long-running comedy, largely because he tends to completely break and laugh his face off while performing.

While talking about his upcoming appearance on the legendary comedy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he was asked if the idea was an “immediate yes” for him when he heard the pitch, which led Gosling to say, “No,” and explain:

So, it was a near immediate yes, then? Well, they told no lies at least, as the whole premise of the sketch is that two dudes who look exactly like real-life versions of Beavis and Butt-Head (but actually don’t know each other) both show up to a televised town hall about the future of AI. Don’t remember? That seems impossible, but here ya go:

That incredibly simple pitch and idea led to one of Saturday Night Live’s biggest viral moments. Gosling mentioned that he was told the sketch was their “white whale,” and it was eventually revealed that it had been attempted before, with the first time being way back in 2018. The main thing that led to the delay in it actually making it onto the show was the makeup and hair, but they certainly nailed it this time, with the Barbie star noting:

Those previous runs at the sketch’s hair and makeup seemed to have made a world of difference, and they do take things over the top when it comes to laughs. As you can see, Heidi Gardner also broke as soon as she was forced to turn to Mikey Day, who may have had the tougher look as the gum-baring Butt-Head. But, guess what? When they rehearsed neither actor was in their full cartoon character getup, so the effect just wasn’t the same. As Gosling said about the rehearsal and then performing it live:

I can barely look at it either, and I’ve seen the whole sketch approximately 427 times. The fact that I’m almost certainly not alone in that tells you just how magical it is, and I cannot wait to see what fresh, funny weirdness we get from the combo of Ryan Gosling and SNL come this Saturday night!

Ryan Gosling has some seriously iconic Saturday Night Live sketches under his belt. I’m talking, of course, about Papyrus, Close Encounter, and his most recent viral hit, the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch. However, as he returns to host an episode of Season 51, he starred in a promo where he thought he was joining the Five-Timers Club, and it's almost as funny as the aforementioned bits that made him such a legendary host (even though he’s only hosted four times).

In an absolutely hilarious pre-taped ad for the SNL episode that will air on the 2026 TV schedule on March 7, Ryan Gosling decided it was time to join the Five-Timers Club. However, just because he’s decided it was time to put on the robe does not mean he is in the club, and that’s the reality he faced in the video below:

I cannot stop laughing about his face when he spotted that shining five, and I was so here for him walking around the studio like he owned the place. The pure chaos also got me, as he choked new cast member Jeremy Culhane and burned a photo of Mikey Day (among other things) before getting on a life-sized fake horse and popping Champagne.

However, the funniest part to me came when Gosling chatted with Day about just how many times he’s hosted. Here’s how that back-and-forth went:

• Mikey Day: Dude! What the hell are you doing?
• Ryan Gosling: Five-Timers club, Michael. Read it and weep.
• Mikey Day: This is your fourth time hosting.
• Ryan Gosling: [Does a spit take then says] Wait a second…
• Mikey Day: The first Close Encounter sketch. The second time you came, you did Papyrus.
• Ryan Gosling: Butt-Head, and…
• Mikey Day: Now, this is your fourth.
• Ryan Golsing: It’s just four. I’m sure someone’s made this mistake before.
• Mikey Day: Never once.
• Ryan Gosling: Really?
• Mikey Day: You lit my picture on fire!
• Ryan Gosling: You know what, Michael, you’ve given me a lot to think about.

Between the Barbie star calling Day “Michael” instead of Mikey, the horse, and Gosling’s confidence and confusion about everything, the Kenergy radiating off this video was insane in the best way.

I also think that this promo is almost as funny as the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch that Gosling and Day did the last time he hosted. That sketch broke Heidi Gardner and many others (except Kenan Thompson), and I feel like if this promo was done live, it would have broken the folks involved with it too.

However, it is worth noting that Ryan Gosling has a tendency to break. He laughed during Close Encounter and Beavis and Butt-Head; in fact, he’s actually broken on-air so many times that a fan put a compilation together. That’s part of what makes him a great host, though, and when he steps on stage this Saturday, I hope to see him laughing again.

I imagine that the upcoming episode of SNL will be just as funny as the times he hosted in 2015, 2017 and 2024. Also, now that I’ve written those years out, I can see why he thought he’d be in the Five-Timers Club, because his run of episodes now spans across more than a decade.

However, that’s not the case...this time. This is, in fact, his fourth time hosting. However, while he refused to take the robe off in the ad for his fourth episode, I’m sure he’ll rightfully get to wear it eventually. Ryan Gosling is a great Saturday Night Live host, and he deserves that honor, as this hilarious promo proves.

Now, to see what he and the cast come up with this time that’ll leave both us and maybe even them laughing, you can catch SNL this Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC or with a Peacock subscription.

A lot of celebrities have admitted to being nervous about the idea of hosting Saturday Night Live. The fact that the show is aired live means there’s no safety net if somebody blows a line or misses a mark. It’s also been a place where many actors have been unable to keep a straight face because things can get so funny that they break character. It’s something Ryan Gosling knows all too well; he's sort of famous for being unable to keep from laughing on the show.

Ryan Gosling has hosted SNL three times previously, and he’s set to do it for a fourth time on March 7 ahead of the release of his new movie, Project Hail Mary. Gosling has famously lost it on set more than once, specifically due to Kate McKinnon, who had Gosling in hysterics during a pair of “Close Encounters” sketches back in 2015 and 2017. Access Hollywood asked Gosling what it is about her that causes him to lose it. He said…

Even if you’re not a regular watcher of Saturday Night Live, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen Kate McKinnon’s character Colleen Rafferty, who, over the course of several years, was the victim of everything from alien abduction to near-death experiences. The character’s first appearance was one of those moments where Ryan Gosling could not hold it together. Check it out.

It’s very possible that Ryan Gosling trying not to laugh is one of the reasons that the Colleen Rafferty character became so popular, as the sketch was one of those that went viral on YouTube the morning after it aired. When Gosling hosted the show again two years later, we saw a return of the duo in a similar alien abduction sketch, and Gosling lost it again. You can tell this time that McKinnon is trying to make that happen.

Access Hollywood asked Ryan Gosling if we might see another Close Encounters sketch when he hosts Saturday Night Live this weekend. Gosling said he didn’t know what the plans were for him. Seeing these two reunite would be a treat, but considering the last time we saw Colleen Rafferty, she was going off to live with aliens, in a sketch during Kate McKinnon’s last season as a full-time cast member.

It would be amazing if they could get McKinnon to make a surprise return alongside Ryan Gosling. If that happens, you can fully expect that she will be working to see if she can make Gosling laugh, and I feel like it’s a safe bet to say it will probably happen.

Ryan Gosling has a storied career of successes. From The Notebook to La La Land, he has one of the most magnetic presences on the silver screen. Gosling’s performances over the years have earned him plenty of critical praise in addition to three Oscar nominations and a 2017 Golden Globes win. But, according to the Barbie star, the only critics he cares about are his two daughters. Now, Gosling is revealing a note one of his kids gave him that influenced a choice he made for his latest film, Project Hail Mary, which is getting great early reactions.

During a recent interview with Extra, Gosling was asked about how his daughters interact with his work and if they are ever critical of his films. He explained that they aren’t critical in the traditional sense, but they do tend to give him notes and opinions that influence the way he thinks about things. For example, when he was preparing for Phil Lord and Chris Miller's Project Hail Mary, one of his girls made a humorous (but astute) suggestion about a key aspect of his look for the film: He said:

I think this is super cute and kind of a reflection of how Gosling's daughters aren’t used to seeing him in glasses. I see the vision, because the audience isn’t used to seeing Gosling in glasses either. So the difference allows people to see him in a fresh way, more as a character than a movie star. Whether or not it makes him look “smarter” remains to be seen, but I feel like glasses have historically been a trick in movies to make a character seem smarter and more reliable.

Gosling is going to have to seem smart and reliable in Project Hail Mary, so his daughter has good instincts. In the upcoming 2026 movie schedule entry, Gosling plays Ryland Grace, an astronaut who wakes up with amnesia while on a mission to save Earth, while simultaneously befriending an alien named Rocky. The film is based on Andy Weir's book of the same name, and the novel famously uses lots of science to explain Ryland’s process for trying to save earth. I’m not sure the glasses are going to do all the heavy lifting, but it’s a cute addition to make Gosling seem more like a hyper-intelligent astronaut in outer space.

Not only is Gosling an excellent actor and compelling movie star, but he seems like a cool dad as well. He seems to know where his priorities are and wants to somehow involve his daughters in the creative process. The glasses are a small detail, but they ended up in the movie, so I'd imagine the directors and costume designers liked that approach as well. Who knows, maybe the younger Goslings will be working behind the scenes on movies sometime in the future.

You can see Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary (which Gosling's partner, Eva Mendes, calls a "masterpiece") when it hits theaters on March 20, 2026.

The Star Wars franchise has been on a theatrical hiatus for several years now, but its big comeback is on the way. The Mandalorian and Grogu is heading to theaters amid the 2026 movie schedule, and, of course, Ryan Gosling will be starring in Star Wars: Starfighter, which is slated for 2027. Gosling's decision to join the franchise may have come as a shock to some, because he had yet to join any major IP in his career. So why did he choose to do so now?

Gosling spoke to Gizmodo about making the jump, and what specifically inspired him to do Star Wars when he'd spent decades avoiding big franchises like this. Based on the comments the Oscar nominee shared with the outlet, there were three specific components that drew him to the Shawn Levy-directed science-fiction film:

I'm happy to hear Ryan Gosling is so bullish on Star Wars: Starfighter, and it also makes sense that he'd want to connect with a big film as opposed to just jumping into one for the sake of it. Also, given what we know about this SW movie thus far, these comments bode well. Shawn Levy revealed the movie would be a standalone film as opposed to a sequel or prequel to any previous work. That said, it's also known that the story is set after the sequel trilogy, so it will give us a peek at the galaxy far, far away in the aftermath of Palpatine's latest defeat.

Ryan Gosling's upcoming Star Wars movie has seen a lot of buzz as of late, with some insiders claiming it's primed to be even more successful than the Mandalorian movie. I think that sets a high bar for this movie to clear, but maybe that's the kind of pressure that this franchise needs to get back to its former glory.

Of course, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and it might be that long gap in between movies that also helps propel this Disney-owned IP back to its place as one of the best sci-fi out there. I think part of the reason the prequel and sequel eras were successful in creating a frenzy of sorts is that there was such a gap in content. By the time Episode 9 was out, fans were used to a consistent influx of Star Wars content, and it seemed to lose its luster.

Of course, what also specifically helps Starfighter is having an A-list actor like Gosling as the lead. Funny enough, the actor is also headlining a very different kind of sci-fi movie in Project Hail Mary, which hits theaters on March 20. I'm eager to see what he does when he enters the George Lucas-birthed franchise.

Here's hoping movies like Star Wars: Starfighter and The Mandalorian and Grogu turn that around, and help the franchise find new stories that don't involve a galactic war between an Empire and Rebel Alliance. With that, it's my hope that Gosling's decision to join this storied franchise isn't in vain.

Star Wars: Starfighter is expected to hit theaters on May 28, 2027, and The Mandalorian and Grogu is due out on May 22nd this year. I'm very excited to see what's in store for the future of this franchise. In the meantime, use a Disney+ subscription to stream the franchise's other movies and shows.

The drought of upcoming Star Wars movies is coming to an end soon. The Mandalorian and Grogu opens on the 2026 movies schedule in May, and the Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter will follow in May 2027. As great as it’s been to watch the various Star Wars TV shows with my Disney+ subscription in recent years, I’m thankful that the franchise is finally returning to its cinematic roots. That said, there are some insiders who already believe that Starfighter will be a bigger hit than The Mandalorian and Grogu.

According to unnamed sources who spoke with Variety, there’s a “sense” that Star Wars: Starfighter, which is directed by Deadpool & Wolverine’s Shawn Levy, will be a more satisfying viewing experience. These same sources are allegedly impressed by the early footage they’ve seen of Ryan Gosling’s performance and also suggested that Levy has “recaptured the franchise’s spirit of fun.” Furthermore, the article states that there’s concern that because The Mandalorian and Grogu is spinning out of a streaming-exclusive series, it might not have as much appeal to people who aren’t already fans of The Mandalorian.

I can certainly understand the latter train of thought. While The Mandalorian has certainly not lacked for attention in its first three seasons, with Grogu, a.k.a. “Baby Yoda,” in particular becoming a pop culture sensation, you still need to be subscribed to Disney+ to watch it. Hardcore Star Wars fans will gladly do that, but there’s still a sizable chunk of people out in the world who casually like Star Wars, but either aren’t signed up on the streaming service or just haven’t had the time to stay current on The Mandalorian.

So that right there cuts down your audience for The Mandalorian and Grogu a bit, and for the people who haven’t seen The Mandalorian, but are deciding to see this movie anyway, I’m curious what steps have been taken to make sure they don’t get lost. Star Wars: Starfighter, on the other hand, will be accessible to everyone equally. It’s set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, which is an unexplored period for the Star Wars franchise onscreen. It’s also expected that most, if not all of its featured characters will be brand-new, so no knowledge of past adventures is required.

And then, as these sources mentioned, the duo of Ryan Gosling as leading man and Shawn Levy in the director’s chair is a recipe for success. The cast also boasts folks like Matt Smith, Amy Adams, Mia Goth and Aaron Pierre, and Jonathan Tropper, whose credits include The Adam Project (another Levy-helmed movie), The Wrecking Crew and Your Friends and Neighbors, wrote the script. All this isn’t to say that we can already declare that Star Wars: Starfighter will be amazing, but it would make sense if it ends up being a bigger deal than The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing both Star Wars movies and hope they both succeed critically and commercially. Between them and the TV shows Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord and Ahsoka Season 2, fans won’t be lacking in space opera entertainment for the foreseeable future.