How Writer Andy Weir Really Feels About Project Hail Mary Fan Fiction

Many a movie has started life as fan fiction, from the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy to Lily Reinhart's hit Prime Video rom-com "The Love Hypothesis." Oddly enough, the latter started as "Star Wars" fanfic, evolving from its sci-fi origins to become a successful contemporary romance. "Project Hail Mary," on the other hand, has been sci-fi from day one. Based on Andy Weir's 2021 novel of the same name, the movie adaptation proved to be a massive hit in 2026. With the popularity of both the book and movie, then "Project Hail Mary" fan fiction has very much become a thing, and it seems Weir is absolutely delighted by it.

The author spoke to Inverse following the release of the movie and was asked what he thinks of "Project Hail Mary" fan fiction, revealing that he was aware of some fan-written stories that are "really fun." "There's one called 'Eriddit,' which is what Reddit would look like if it was by Eridians," he continued. "It's like one post is like 'Oh, Rocky's mate Adrian is going to the space elevator to visit him.' Everything's famous, and they're about this alien [Ryland Grace], and they're like, 'This alien, I don't understand how he lives on this fire world.' It's so great."

Eridians are the race of aliens to which Rocky, Ryland Grace's (Ryan Gosling) extra-terrestrial pal, belongs. In the film, Grace encounters Rocky as they both race to find a solution to the light-devouring microbe that threatens their home worlds. Rocky is a lovable companion who was always going to be a fan-favorite, so it's understandable that those fans have written their own stories based on the character — especially since so much of Rocky's background and culture is left unexplained. Thankfully, Weir is fully supportive.

It's not surprising that Andy Weir is supportive of fans who write their own "Project Hail Mary" fiction. Before he became a best-selling author, Weir wrote his own fan fiction for the long-running sci-fi series "Doctor Who," so he's absolutely no stranger to the concept and it seems he hasn't forgotten his love for it. Beyond being supportive of "Project Hail Mary" fan fiction, the writer would also welcome the possibility of his work inspiring entirely separate properties.

Asked how he would feel if any "Project Hail Mary" fan fiction became its own thing, à la the way in which "The Love Hypothesis" evolved out of "Star Wars" fanfic, Weir remained onboard. "Anyone who wants to write fan fiction of my stuff, I fully support it," he said, adding:

"And if it turns into such an awesome story that they want to scrape the serial numbers off to make it a unique story that doesn't violate copyrights, then again, power to them. If 'Raymond Grant' and his alien 'water friend' want to explore the galaxy in somebody else's book, that's great. I'd totally read it!"

It's nice to know the author is so supportive of fan fiction, especially given how his own writing career got started (Weir also wrote a prequel to blockbuster sci-fi novel "Ready Player One"). Meanwhile, the writer is working on a new book that he says will tackle artificial intelligence, and claims not to have a strong enough idea for a "Project Hail Mary" sequel just yet. For now, then, the closest fans will get is via Weir-endorsed "Project Hail Mary" fan fiction.