Hollywood actor Ryan Gosling has been spotted filming his upcoming film at an English seaside resort. The Barbie and La La Land actor was seen with a film crew on South Parade Pier in Southsea, Portsmouth. Gosling is working on the movie Project Hail Mary with 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Photographs from the set show Gosling in a yellow raincoat and spectacles, as main character Ryland Grace. Gosling was also seen waving to fans as he left the pier after filming on Sunday. Project Hail Mary is based on the book by Andy Weir, who also wrote The Martian, later adapted into a Ridley Scott film starring Matt Damon.
Fans flocked to South Parade Pier in Southsea, Hampshire, where the Barbie star, 43, is filming Project Hail Mary – a science fiction film about a school teacher-turned astronaut on a mission to save the world from total extinction. Based on the 2021 novel by Andy Weir, Ryan stars as Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a mysterious coma afflicted with amnesia, only to gradually remember that he’s a man on a mission.
Swapping Ken’s sunnies and pink fur coat for a yellow windbreaker jacket and a pair of spectacles, the Hollywood hunk was all smiles, laughing and joking with his co-stars and crew at the end of a scene. As fans headed to the rainy beach in the hope of catching a glimpse of the actor, film trucks and minibuses were parked nearby. At the end of the pier, crew members mingled with fishermen, united in one thing:
Their job today is beach.
Produced by Ryan himself, Project Hail Mary has been planned for four years and is set for release on May 20, 2026. Its IMDB synopsis reads: ‘Set in the near future, it centres on junior high school-teacher-turned-astronaut Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma afflicted with amnesia.
‘He gradually remembers that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to find a means of reversing a solar dimming event that could cause the extinction of humanity.’
The film is directed by LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and also stars Milana Vayntrub and Sandra Hüller. This marks the third Hollywood adaptation from author Andy Weir, who previously penned The Martian, which starred Matt Damon. Directors Lord and Miller are also currently working on an adaptation of his 2017 book Artemis – a sci-fi novel which follows a porter and smuggler in the distant lunar city of Artemis.
The teacher in a tie and windbreaker is another striking look for the La La Land star, who appeared as rough-and-ready Colt Seavers earlier this year, in the comedy action film The Fall Guy. Starring opposite Emily Blunt, he played a cocky Hollywood stuntman investigating a missing movie star while also trying to win back the love of his life (that would be Emily Blunt’s Jody Moreno).
Ryan Gosling was spotted filming Project Hail Mary in Southsea, Portsmouth over the weekend (12 & 13 October 2024). Donning a yellow raincoat and wire-rimmed spectacles, the star wowed passersby with his transformation – a world away from his recent role in The Fall Guy and his Cali-tanned Ken in Barbie. We’re not quite sure just yet which scenes were being filmed on this rainy England day, but we do know Ryland was a teacher before he became an astronaut – so perhaps Gosling was filming a flashback.
Ryan Gosling was almost unrecognisable on the set of his new film, which is set in Portsmouth. The Barbie star, 43, is braving the British weather for Project Hail Mary in which he plays Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma with amnesia. Seen sporting a suit underneath a waxed yellow anorak with gold-rimmed glasses and rocking a mop of curled and highlighted hair, Ryan can be seen chatting to the production crew in a windswept Southsea. Enjoying a coffee break, the A-lister looks a world away from the bright lights of Hollywood as he gets to grip with the flick, which is based on the book by Andy Weir.
Southsea pier has been transformed into a film set with cameras and lights and the town is currently buzzing with excitement. Fans can't wait for Ryan to play Ryland, who slowly remembers that he’s been sent on a mission to reverse a solar dimming event that could lead to the extinction of the human race, after waking up from his coma. The film, which is due to be released in 2026, also stars German actress Sandra Huller, fresh from her Oscar-nominated turn in Anatomy of a Fall.
Starting out in showbiz in the Mickey Mouse Club, Canadian, Ryan, has gone on to have an illustrious career, bagging three Oscar nominations. With his impressive CV he's on the top of most casting directors' lists. However, in 2009, he was dropped from the film, The Lovely Bones, after a disagreement over his role with director, Peter Jackson.
Saoirse Ronan, who played lead, Susie Salmon, has opened up about feeling "sad" over Ryan's departure after he was initially cast to portray, Jack Salmon, father to Susie. Chatting on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Saoirse said: "I just loved Ryan. And his dog, George. I was just sad that he wasn't gonna be around." However, she clarified she understood the reasons for the departure saying, "But I think the reasons why they parted were totally valid." Despite the shake-up, the Irish actress remains positive, stating, "I have spoken to both now, and it happens, you know what I mean? It's not personal, necessarily; it's just sometimes you're not on the same page." The role of Jack Salmon eventually fell into Mark Wahlberg's lap, a choice Ronan backs due to his life experience as a dad, "Mark was able to step in, and he was a father." She added: "He was a father to, like, I don't know, three kids? He probably had an experience of that that Ryan felt he didn't." Saoirse did, however, circle back to collaborate with Gosling in his directorial endeavour 'Lost River', which she describes as a "great" spell. Reflecting on their reunion, she added: "Ryan was like 27. He was young. It was great then to work with him later."
Ryan spoke to THR a year after The Lovely Bones was released, Ryan revealed he was cut loose due to his weight gain, explaining: "We had a different idea of how the character should look."
