CEO of Pascal Pictures, Pascal Pictures
Project Hail Mary - Amy Pascal - Producer (Part 1) | Interview
Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
Screenplay by: Drew Goddard
Based on the novel by: Andy Weir
Run time 2 hours, 36 minutes
Genres
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Starring
Ryan Gos...
About Amy Pascal
Amy Pascal, CEO of Pascal Pictures, appeared alongside Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in a July 2026 interview to promote the upcoming film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Pascal discussed the creative decision to return Peter Parker to a state of anonymity following the events of "No Way Home," stating that the move was made because it was "the right thing to do for Peter Parker" and that it would allow for a "great future for Spider-Man." She also noted that Spider-Man exists in a world of other characters, which she said provides "rich opportunities." Pascal also commented on the state of the film industry, describing 2026 as "a really great year for moviegoing." She said that people are attending theaters to see "all kinds of different movies" and expressed happiness that the business appears to be strong, countering what she described as claims that the industry was not performing well.
Transcript (10 segments)
A
Amy Pascal0:14
CIA was representing the book because they represent Andy Weir, and Andy and CIA decided that they wanted to give it to Ryan because they thought Ryan would be a perfect Ryland Grace. There was like no other person that can do it, and I must say I totally agree. Ryan came to me and asked me to produce the movie with him, which was a great honor, and I obviously said yes.
Ryan and I talked a lot about, you know, who would be the right partners for us on the movie. And it didn't take more than maybe three seconds for us to both decide that there was nobody like Chris and Phil to do this movie. And Ryan had wanted to work with them forever. And this is the seventh movie I've made with them.
Chris and Phil are very specific filmmakers. They have a sensibility that I think is hard to describe because it's so poignant and emotional and yet so funny at the same time. And also they can't help but be really commercial. One of the great things about, you know, as a producer, the best thing, the smartest thing you can do is work with great directors. Like that's how you make a great movie is basically to situate yourself with people that are really, really talented. And Chris and Phil are amongst a handful of directors working today that have a really singular vision. You can tell what a Chris and Phil movie is the way you can tell what a PTA movie is and you can tell what a Ryan Coogler movie is. And you can tell what a Christopher Nolan film is because they have a sensibility that belongs to them and no one else.
The idea is that a completely average person like any of us, not a superhero, not an astronaut, just a normal person, winds up, opens his eyes on a spaceship and has absolutely no idea where he is or how he got there. And the movie over the course of the story tells you why he's there and how he got there. And he comes to terms with some internal struggle that he's been having with himself for a long time because he was a scientist that was excommunicated from the academic community because he believed in some theory that was very unpopular.
It was really important to us that she wasn't a, you know, a high-heeled pencil skirt, the way that women who are powerful are always portrayed in movies. And that she was really tough, but because she was really smart, and that she also knew what she was asking people to do. And it weighed on her and she's struggling the whole time with how much it's weighing on her and her pretending that it's not weighing on her.
Every shot is beautiful and every shot is inspired by wonder.
I think that the movie is inspired by learning and feeling that there might be something good out there instead of something bad out there. There are so many bad out there things in our life. But the idea that there's life in space that is intelligent and curious and full of love just I think that inspired everybody in the movie because space is this beautiful, gentle, quiet place.
He set out to write a story about how friendship can save the world. And I think that was what the movie's about. And I think another thing that I think is profound about the film is that the movie posits a question. We're living in a time where everyone is scared of each other. No one trusts each other. Nobody wants to listen to each other. Everybody's in their silos just believing what they believe and reading different newspapers and not opening themselves up to other people. And this movie is about that. You have to listen. You have to learn someone else's language. You have to understand where they're coming from or you can't save the world.
You've never seen space like this before, ever. And it was made to be seen on IMAX. There are movies you can watch on television and there are movies you can't. And this is one you can't because you don't want to miss anything.
I hope people come away with it being inspired about science and faith because basically that's what the movie is about. The movie is about there's no reason to believe in something except you do. What's better than that?