Project Hail Mary author Andy Weir left the ending open, and there’s a very good reason why

Project Hail Mary’s ending wraps up everything neatly, where both Ryland Grace and Rocky survive, and Earth is likely saved, but the ending is left open and now the author, Andy Weir has revealed the real reason why.

Ryan Gosling‘s character, Dr Ryland Grace, finally becomes the hero he never thought he was, especially after choosing to save Rocky instead of returning to Earth. So, naturally, you’d expect a proper conclusion, maybe a reunion with humanity, or at least a definite answer. But that’s not what happens.

Instead, we see Grace living in Rocky’s world, teaching, learning, and seeming quite content. When Rocky offers to help him build a ship to go back to Earth. Grace says he’ll think about it, just not right now.

So, why is the ending left open?

Well, when asked directly whether Grace ever returns home, Weir kept things intentionally vague. “I didn’t define that,” he told Den of Geek. “So I respectfully decline to answer because I might write a sequel someday and I might want to talk about those things. Right now, I don’t define things that are outside the pages.”

Interestingly, this doesn’t mean a sequel is definitely coming. In fact, Weir is quite clear about where things stand at the moment. “I am not working on a sequel right now,” he confirmed. “The book I’m working on right now is a new standalone story that’s not a sequel to anything else.”

Still, he hasn’t completely ruled it out either. “I have absolutely thought about sequel ideas for Project Hail Mary, but I don’t feel like I’ve got something that’s good enough to run with yet. But I’ve got some bits and pieces. Some ideas.”

And that actually changes how the ending feels. It’s not just ambiguous for the sake of it. It’s more like a pause. A moment where Grace’s story could go in different directions.

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