I said to Neal: 'Are you going to be giving me directions? I'm really down if that's the case - you're a genius,' and he said, 'No, no, no, James. Think of it like this: You're Frank Oz, and I'm making Yoda for you.' This collaborative approach between performer and creature designer proved transformative for the character.
Although Andy Weir's famous 2011 debut novel, The Martian, had a title that suggested extraterrestrial life, that lonely astronaut tale was about humankind, specifically, the race to rescue Mark Watney. But Weir's 2021 book, , which also focused on a lone astronaut, Ryland Grace, did something that is very difficult for hard science fiction stories to pull off convincingly: give us a straight-up alien that we love and believe in.
The upcoming science fiction film Project Hail Mary is getting a LEGO set. This is fascinating because LEGO typically makes sets based on long-standing franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Project Hail Mary doesn't even hit theaters until March 20. It's not an entirely new IP. The movie is based on a 2021 book written by Andy Weir, the same author behind The Martian. It's cool to see a LEGO set based on something more contemporary than its usual fare.
