Milana Vayntrub Joins Amazon MGM Studios’ Upcoming Film ‘Project Hail Mary’

EXCLUSIVE: Milana Vayntrub has boarded the Amazon MGM Studios‘ upcoming movie Project Hail Mary, alongside previously announced cast members Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are directing the film from a script by Drew Goddard. Producers include Amy Pascal via Pascal Pictures; Ryan Gosling via General Admission; Lord, Miller, and Aditya Sood via Lord Miller; Rachel O’Connor via Pascal Pictures; and Andy Weir.

In the pic, which is based on Andy Weir’s (The Martian) novel of the same name, middle school science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He must figure out how to complete his interstellar mission to save Earth from an astronomical catastrophe completely alone, until he meets a mysterious alien who has traveled light years to save his own species from the same fate.

Project Hail Mary will be shot in IMAX and released wide in theaters on March 20, 2026. Oscar winning Dune DP Greig Fraser (Dune) is the cinematographer on the movie. EPs are Lucy Kitada and Nikki Baida via Lord Miller; Goddard; Sarah Esberg; Ken Kao; and Patty Whitcher.  

Vayntrub most recently starred alongside Kyra Sedgwick in the comedy Bad Shabbos, which premiered at the this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. She co-wrote, directed, and starred the short film Pickled Herring, currently streaming on Omeleto, which made the festival rounds and garnered the Audience Choice Award at the Indy Shorts International Film Festival. Also this year, Vayntrub launched an original podcast Your Mom is a Podcast, which she co-produces and hosts with comedian Sandeep Parikh.

Her acting credits include Kevin Hart’s Die Hart, Paul Feig’s Other Space, HBO’s Silicon Valley, NBC’s This is Us, Netflix’s Love, Showtime’s Californication, IFC’s critically acclaimed horror film Werewolves Within, Fox’s Ghostbusters, Netflix’s A Futile & Stupid Gesture. She lent her voice to “Squirrel Girl” in Marvel Rising: Initiation. Vayntrub is also recognized for her role of “Lily” in the long-running campaign for AT&T. Originally cast for a single ad spot in 2013, she stole the campaign and has since appeared in over 40 spots, working with the company both in front of and behind the camera. In addition to the AT&T spots, she has directed numerous national and regional commercials.  Writing credits include Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken and numerous online videos for the popular comic shorts website CollegeHumor Originals.

Vayntrub is repped by Artists First.