Mashable

Like any book-to-film adaptation, Project Hail Mary makes some changes to its source material.

SEE ALSO: How did Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times' wind up in 'Project Hail Mary'? Thank Sandra Hüller.

In most cases, Project Hail Mary's changes look like removing elements of Andy Weir's novel in order to streamline the film. For example, in the book, a key part of finding astronauts for the Hail Mary mission is determining whether they have a very rare coma resistance gene, all of which is missing from the movie. Another omission? A plan to power Astrophage production by covering the Sahara Desert in solar panels.

However, Project Hail Mary does make one addition in its final minutes that isn't in the book.

The film ends very much like Weir's novel, with biologist Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) living not on Earth, but on alien Rocky's (voiced by puppeteer James Ortiz) home planet of Erid. He's sent the Hail Mary's beetle probes back to Earth with instructions on how to breed the Astrophage-eating Taumoeba and save the sun. In the book, after Grace has spent years on Erid, we learn that the sun's luminosity has been restored, meaning Grace's research made it to Earth and humanity is saved.

However, we never actually see what that process looks like in Weir's book. In fact, we never return to Earth, as we're in Grace's mind the whole time.

The movie, on the other hand, does bring us back to Earth as the film winds down. It shows us its now-frozen oceans, a result of global cooling due to the sun's dimming. It also shows us what's happened to Stratt in the years since the Hail Mary launched.

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Stratt's fate remains a mystery in the novel, although she believes that she'll eventually wind up in prison due to the extreme actions she took to get the Hail Mary off the ground. (The Sahara Desert plan, for example, proves an environmentally destructive resource drain, although it gets the job done.) The film takes a more optimistic approach, showing that Stratt is still alive and has received the beetles. Now, she's ready to start work on the next phase of Project Hail Mary.

"Quite honestly, I love writing Stratt," screenwriter Drew Goddard told Mashable while discussing Stratt's ending. "This movie is about three characters, really. It's a triangle between three characters, and we need to give her her moment."

Thus, Stratt's epilogue was born, granting us a hopeful glimpse into humanity's recovery effort.

Goddard continued: "That's what great about movies. You can cut away, whereas the book stayed with Grace. Once I put [the scene] in, no one questioned it. I was really grateful that they let us do it, because I thought it was really important to see her."

Project Hail Mary is now in theaters.

Project Hail Mary has shouted out Harry Styles so much, we might as well be calling it Project Hail Harry.

The sci-fi film's first trailer was set to Styles' song "Sign of the Times." Gosling then performed it during his Saturday Night Live monologue, all while Styles looked on. (Gosling also returned to SNL the following week to introduce one of Styles' musical performances.) Of course, all this Styles love stems from the fact that "Sign of the Times" appears in Project Hail Mary itself.

SEE ALSO: 'Project Hail Mary' review: Ryan Gosling delights in a sci-fi buddy comedy

Based on the novel of the same name by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary centers on a last-ditch mission to save Earth's dimming sun from an alien microbe called Astrophage. During an emotional scene in the lead-up to mission's launch, everyone involved, including biologist Ryland Grace (Gosling) and project head Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller), gathers for karaoke. Nothing will soothe your worries about the end of the world quite like communal singing!

In the scene, the usually business-focused Stratt takes center stage to perform an almost elegiac take on "Sign of the Times." It's screenwriter Drew Goddard's favorite scene in the film, although he claims no credit for the Styles song choice.

"I had nothing to do with it," Goddard told Mashable in a video interview. "We knew we needed this sort of hangout scene. I call it the 'calm before the storm' scene."

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller suggested karaoke for the scene, and, Goddard recalled, just a few nights before shooting, they decided to try to get Hüller to sing in the film.

"She said, 'I'll only do it if I can do the Harry Styles song,'" Goddard said. "So it was Sandra's choice, which is insane to think about, because it lines up so perfectly with the point of the movie. It actually says 'breaking through the atmosphere,' for God's sake. I could not have chosen a better song. That's all Sandra. She picked it, and thank God she did."

Project Hail Mary is now in theaters.

The latest season of ABC’s The Bachelorette has been canceled after a video circulated online of its star, Taylor Frankie Paul, hurling chairs at her ex-boyfriend in front of her toddler daughter in 2023.

The Bachelorette was set to premiere on Sunday. Paul was already doing interviews for the show when ABC parent company Disney announced the cancelation.

“In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family,” a Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said in a statement.

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Paul is a #MomTok influencer, with over 6 million followers, and the star of Hulu’s reality hit, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.

That show recently paused production of its fifth season after reports came out that Paul and her ex, Dakota Mortensen, were being investigated by police in Draper City, Utah for an alleged domestic violence incident in February this year, People reports.

The 2023 video, released by TMZ, shows Paul kicking Mortensen and putting him in a chokehold while Paul’s young daughter is nearby on a couch. Paul then starts throwing metal chairs at Mortensen. One chair appears to graze the child, who begins crying.

Paul was arrested after the 2023 incident, on suspicion of domestic violence. Paul told podcaster Alex Cooper last year that those charges were dropped and denied that she ever hurt her daughter.

SEE ALSO: With LTK integration, you can now shop 'The Bachelor' franchise while you watch

In light of the video circulating on the internet, Paul’s public relations team lashed out at Mortensen, with whom she shares a son.

"Releasing an old video, which conveniently omits context, on their son's birthday is a reprehensible attempt to distract from his own behavior," a Paul spokesperson told People. "Thankfully, the public has seen this act before and knows who he is and sadly, many will recognize this pattern of manipulation, both in his actions on the show, and from their own experiences."

Before Paul’s Bachelorette season was canceled, she told People on Wednesday she was disappointed the domestic violence allegations would taint the show.

"Just the timing is hard, and it's a big deal. I feel like every premiere that I've experienced, I've never enjoyed fully, so this is another one ... it's extremely hard, and it took everything to get me here today," Paul told the magazine.

"I'm struggling for sure, but also at the same time I feel like if I don't show up, then I'm just giving these opportunities away and not enjoying what we've worked on and something super exciting that's coming.”

Social media was aghast at the video — and at Disney’s decision to hire Paul in the first place, after she previously faced domestic violence allegations.

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If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org.

An artificial intelligence replica of Val Kilmer, the Hollywood icon who died from pneumonia in 2025, will star in the forthcoming indie film As Deep as the Grave. Variety reported the news Wednesday.

Kilmer had originally been cast as a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist in the movie, which faced pandemic-related delays. The role was based on a real-life man who played a part in the 1920s archeological excavation of Arizona's Canyon de Chelly, the heart of the Navajo Nation.

The actor ultimately never filmed a scene as his health worsened due to throat cancer.

SEE ALSO: Review: 'The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist' is a panic attack, in a good way

Writer/director Coerte Voorhees and producer John Voorhees, who are brothers, said they've used previously recorded material to create a "photorealistic digital model of Kilmer," according to the New York Times.

The Voorhees said they relied on generative AI programs to manipulate the trove of images, video, and audio. The Times reported that they inserted Kilmer's replica into previously filmed scenes using standard editing software. They also deployed AI to generate new scenes featuring Kilmer.

Kilmer's estate and daughter have been supportive of the decision to include an AI version of Kilmer in the film.

"He always looked at emerging technologies with optimism as a tool to expand the possibilities of storytelling," Mercedes Kilmer told Variety. "This spirit is something that we are all honoring within this specific film, of which he was an integral part."

The filmmakers said that Kilmer's estate had been compensated for the appearance and that the production had followed Screen Actors Guild guidelines. Mashable contacted SAG and the Voorhees' production company for comment via email, but did not hear back as of publication.

In 2021, years after Kilmer lost his voice due to throat cancer treatment, he partnered with a software company to create a synthetic voice based on hours of recorded audio of him speaking.

When Kilmer appeared in Top Gun: Maverick as his character, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, his line of dialogue was powered by that voice.

TL;DR: Live stream Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

A number of fascinating NHL fixtures are taking place this weekend, including Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes. On paper, the Carolina Hurricanes should take the win here comfortably, but the Scotiabank Arena could always inspire the Toronto Maple Leafs to an upset.

If you want to watch Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes?

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL starts at 7 p.m. ET on March 20. This fixture takes place at the Scotiabank Arena.

How to watch Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes for free

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now to live stream the NHL for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 9Now

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the NHL without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL (plus more NHL fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

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A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $78.18 and includes an extra four months for free — 78% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Watch Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL for free with ExpressVPN.

Numerous reports, including Mashable's own coverage, were published on Wednesday about a new hacker tool called DarkSword that is being used to target iPhones. 

Apple has now shared with Mashable some important information regarding the threat and how the company is addressing it.

According to Apple, the company last year patched the underlying iOS vulnerabilities that the spyware exploited. In addition, Apple also pushed out an emergency software update for iOS 15 and iOS 16 on March 11 meant for older iOS devices that were not able to update to the more recent, patched versions of iOS.

Apple says that any user running iOS 15 through iOS 26 are protected from DarkSword spyware. 

SEE ALSO: Hackers target millions of iPhones with new DarkSword spyware

However, users running iOS 13 or iOS 14 need to update to iOS 15 in order for their device to receive these same protections. Apple says users still using these older versions of iOS will receive an alert to install a Critical Security Update within the next few days.

Apple also shared that security researchers confirmed that DarkSword spyware and other similar exploits do not work on devices with Apple’s optional Lockdown Mode protection enabled. In addition, iPhone 17 users were protected from these attacks thanks to the lineup's Memory Integrity Enforcement feature.

On Wednesday, Google, along with cybersecurity firms Lookout and iVerify, published detailed reports about DarkSword, a new hacking toolkit being deployed by bad actors, such as a notorious hacking group with ties to the Russian government. One of DarkSword's most concerning aspects is that the spyware did not require the target to download any malware or other malicious file. DarkSword is deployed by a target simply visiting a compromised website.

According to Apple, Apple Safe Browsing in Safari blocks all known malicious URLs identified by Google.

Apple also provided other general security and safety tips, such as using two-factor authentication for logins, never clicking on unknown links or attachments, and always keeping your devices' software up-to-date.

Apple has also published more information about how it's protecting users from these web-based attacks in a post found on its website.

Reddit appeared to be inaccessible to some users Thursday afternoon, with attempts to access the site showing a "server error" message.

At 3:20 p.m. ET, more than 30,000 users have reported problems with accessing Reddit, according to Downdetector. However, as of 3:50 p.m., user issues appeared to have been resolved.

While Reddit's status page shows no reported issues, attempts by Mashable to access Reddit by both desktop and app were met by errors shortly after 3 p.m. ET. Users on other social media sites also reported issues.

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Should user-reported issues spike again, this story will be updated.