Quick summary
- Durdle Door, on Dorset’s Purbeck coast, features in the closing scenes of Project Hail Mary, according to Swanage News.
- Ryan Gosling shot several scenes on the beach over three days in October 2024.
- The film reportedly took £120 million in its first weekend after opening in UK cinemas on 20 March 2026.
- Visitor numbers to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door are expected to rise.
A Dorset landmark has found a new audience. Swanage News reports that Durdle Door, the limestone arch on the Purbeck coast, appears in the final scenes of Project Hail Mary, the science-fiction film starring Ryan Gosling. The report was published on 4 November 2026, and it says the beach now has a global audience in the millions.
How the Durdle Door shoot came together
Film crews from Amazon MGM took over the site for several days in October 2024, according to Swanage News. The Lulworth Estate closed Durdle Door Beach, Man O’ War Beach and the Durdle Door car park on Friday 11, Saturday 12 and Tuesday 15 October 2024. Access to the coast path from West Lulworth stayed open.
That left walkers with an unexpected view. Digital content creator Scarlet Martin, who was staying at The Priory Hotel in Wareham, told the outlet she found filming under way and could clearly see Gosling acting out a scene in white chinos and a chunky knit cardigan. She said she told hikers puffing up the hill that the actor was on the other side.
Some shots in the finished film were taken from the sea, the report adds. Gosling spent several days in Purbeck during the shoot.
What the film is about
Project Hail Mary is based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel. Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a science teacher who wakes up alone on a spaceship with amnesia and slowly learns he has been sent to stop the sun from being destroyed. Swanage News describes one of the film’s most moving images as Grace on the Durdle Door beach after making huge personal sacrifices to try to save Earth and his friend.
That friend is Rocky, a blind, five-armed alien who communicates through musical tones and chords, similar to whale song. His home planet faces the same extinction threat, so the two have to cooperate.
The directors are Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind the Spider-Verse films and The Lego Movie.
The numbers behind the release
Swanage News says the film made £120 million in its first weekend after opening in UK cinemas on Friday 20 March 2026, and was seen by more than five million people in cinemas over that weekend. It calls the film the biggest of 2026 so far and an early favourite for the 2027 Academy Awards. Those are the outlet’s claims, and we have not verified the box office figures independently.
Gosling has three Oscar nominations, for Half Nelson, La La Land and Barbie, the report notes. For more of his recent news, see our Ryan Gosling archive and the Movies section.
A beach with a film résumé
Durdle Door sits on the private 12,000-acre Lulworth Estate, owned by the Weld family. It has appeared in Nanny McPhee and Far From The Madding Crowd, and in music videos including “Saviour’s Day” by Cliff Richard and “Loverboy” by Billy Ocean. Scenes from the 2016 Bollywood film Housefull 3 were also shot there.
Its profile rose further in 2022, when it featured in Doctor Who as the place where Jodie Whittaker regenerates into David Tennant. Filming for Netflix’s The Sandman followed in June 2023. Swanage News says it has since topped the list of the UK’s most Instagrammable beaches.
What happens next
The outlet expects visitor numbers to Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door to climb. Anyone planning a trip should know the beach sits at the foot of steep cliffs, and the narrow steps are currently under repair. Sturdy footwear is advised.
Frequently asked questions
Where was Project Hail Mary filmed in the UK?
According to Swanage News, the closing scenes were filmed at Durdle Door on the Purbeck coast in Dorset, over several days in October 2024.
Who stars in Project Hail Mary?
Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, a science teacher sent on a mission to save Earth. The film is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
Can you still visit Durdle Door?
Yes. The beach was closed to the public only on three days in October 2024 for filming. The steps down are narrow and under repair, so wear suitable shoes.
One Response