California native Andy Weir was working as a software engineer in the tech industry before his writing career took off. Weir went from an ordinary guy to one of the most successful sci-fi authors ever with one film and another in progress, multiple New York Times Best Sellers as well as more than a dozen sci-fi writing awards and nominations to show for it.

Weir’s career skyrocketed when his novel, “The Martian,” was published in 2014. Praised for its gripping plot and scientific accuracy, the book follows NASA astronaut Mark Watney —  played by Matt Damon in the film adaptation — as he attempts to survive while stranded on Mars. 

Weir is now a producer for the film adaptation of his 2021 novel “Project Hail Mary” starring Ryan Gosling, set for release in March 2026. Despite the success of “The Martian” and its Oscar-nominated film directed by Ridley Scott, Weir didn’t let the possibility of a film influence how he wrote “Project Hail Mary.”

“If you’re thinking about a book being made into a movie, maybe you should write a screenplay instead,” Weir said in an interview with the Daily Trojan. “They’re very different forms of media. You can do stuff in books that you can never do in film … My focus is on the experience that the reader is going to have reading.”

Before “The Martian,” Weir never imagined he would have success as a writer. He had written two books before that were never published. By his third book, Weir had decided to write purely for enjoyment, uploading the novel chapter by chapter to his website before eventually self-publishing. 

The text was distinct in the way that it explained the details, down to the percentage point, of the scientific phenomena that drove the plot. 

“[‘The Martian’] was just a little bit more personable than a Wikipedia article,” Weir said. “This was made for what I thought was a 0.1%, niche audience of dorks like me, who love to see the science and have it fully explained in detail … But then it just completely took off.”

Weir’s literary agent, David Fugate, president and founder of LaunchBooks Literary Agency, was gripped by the story from the beginning.

“Within the first chapter, I was completely hooked. It was everything I could do not to just reach out to him right away,” Fugate said. “It has such humor and such humanity and has a character you can really root for.”

Weir and Fugate attribute the book’s widespread appeal to the novel’s protagonist, Mark Watney, who overcomes challenges with innovative thinking and humor. 

Weir’s film agent, Jon Cassir of Creative Artists Agency, agrees that Weir has a knack for writing about “relatable, self-deprecating” characters.

“[Weir] was able to weave together a really moving and harrowing narrative that also is filled with lots of levity because of the tone he brought to Mark’s character,” Cassir said.

Though Watney was a hit with readers, Weir said that he felt like the character lacked depth. In “Project Hail Mary,” he took a different approach in crafting his protagonist. 

“That was the first time I created a character from whole cloth, without basing the protagonist on myself,” Weir said. 

“Project Hail Mary” centers on Ryland Grace, a scientist-turned-middle-school-teacher who finds himself the sole survivor aboard a spaceship, where he must figure out how to save the world alongside an alien named Rocky. While Mark Watney is courageous, Ryland Grace is somewhat cowardly. 

“His whole life, every decision has been made based on fear,” Weir said. “He’s afraid, but he’s also really, really smart … He retreated to being a teacher because children don’t challenge you as much as adults do … and so that’s a really emotionally safe environment for him.”

Beyond their contrasting protagonists, “Project Hail Mary” and “The Martian” appeal to readers for different reasons. “The Martian” is a classic survival story that happens to be set on Mars. While Watney struggles to survive the harsh Martian terrain, the rest of the world comes together to bring him home. “The Martian” is about the world uniting to save one man, while “Project Hail Mary” is about one man’s attempt to save the world.

“It’s really [about] the friendship between Rocky and Ryland Grace,” Fugate said, “and how far they’re willing to go to help each other.”

Weir puts himself into the shoes of his readers to make sure they’re getting the best experience possible. 

“When I’m doing editing passes, I imagine that I’m my reader,” Weir said, “lying in bed reading before I go to sleep … and it’s about time for me to put the book down to go to sleep. What paragraph am I on when I put that book down?” When Weir sees such a paragraph, he removes it. “Don’t let them put the book down.”

Even after multiple best-selling novels and two films, Weir recognizes how difficult the writing process can be.

“Give a man a book, you entertain him for a night,” Weir said. “Teach a man to write, you give him crippling self-doubt for life.”