Project Hail Mary is doing numbers at the box office, and attention has already shifted to what comes next from Andy Weir. The Artemis adaptation has been in development since 2017, and it is still very much alive. Now, Weir himself has thrown a name into the conversation for who should play Jazz.
Weir Wants Jenna Ortega for the Lead Role
In an interview with Den of Geek, Weir was asked about the Artemis casting situation. He was quick to make clear that he had no say in the decision. But he also made clear he has an opinion. “That’s a tough call. I mean, it’d be pretty cool, and I have no say in any of this, but if someone like Jenna Ortega would do it,” he said.
Ortega makes sense on paper. Jazz Bashara is a young woman living in Artemis, the first and only city on the moon. She works as a porter and smuggles contraband on the side to pay off her father’s debts. She is clever, blunt, and gets herself into a conspiracy she did not ask for.
Wednesday gave Ortega a global platform and proved she can carry a story on her own. The fit is easy to see even if Weir is not the one making the call. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are still attached to direct. They signed on in 2017 and are still on the project as of this week.
The original screenplay was written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet, who did Captain Marvel and the Tomb Raider reboot. Lord and Miller recently told ScreenRant that they have figured out how to shoot one-sixth gravity, which was the main technical problem holding the film back for years.
That is a significant development. The timing around Project Hail Mary’s performance only helps. The film opened to over $140 million globally in its first weekend and is sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Lord and Miller now have a track record with Weir adaptations that they did not have before.
That changes the conversation with studios considerably. Artemis is still in development, with no official green light or release date. No casting has been confirmed. But with Project Hail Mary performing the way it is, Miller recently told ScreenRant that they have figured out how to shoot one-sixth gravity, which was the main technical problem holding the film back for years.
That is a significant development. The timing around Project Hail Mary’s performance only helps. The film opened to over $140 million globally in its first weekend and is sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lord and Miller now have a track record with Weir adaptations that they did not have before. That changes the conversation with studios considerably. Artemis is still in development, with no official green light or release date.
No casting has been confirmed. But with Project Hail Mary performing the way it is and Lord and Miller back in the spotlight, the project has more momentum right now than it has had since 2017.
Whether Ortega ends up in the role or not, Artemis is no longer something fans should stop expecting. It is just a matter of when.
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