'The Dog Stars': Plot, Release Date & Everything We Know About Ridley Scott's Upcoming Movie
The new movie from the master is almost here.
This summer, a new film from Ridley Scott, the legendary director of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, and The Martian, will hit theaters. This time, Scott turns to the post-apocalyptic genre, telling the story of a pilot and his loyal dog.
Euphoria star Jacob Elordi will star alongside Josh Brolin and Margaret Qualley. Here's everything we know so far about The Dog Stars.
When Will 'The Dog Stars' Be Released?
The Dog Stars is scheduled to premiere on August 28, 2026. The movie has already received an R rating, suggesting a gritty and realistic tone far removed from teen dystopias.
What Will 'The Dog Stars' Be About & What Is It Based On?
A terrible epidemic has wiped out most of humanity, and the few survivors are trying to move on in a collapsed world. Pilot Hig and his dog have found a new home in an old airplane hangar where ex-Marine Bangley also lives.
Determined to stay put, Bangley shoots back at a gang of crazy, wandering scavengers who are harassing them. Meanwhile, Hig desperately longs for the old days, his deceased wife, and a meaningful life.
Occasionally, he takes off in his old Cessna to explore the surrounding area, meet his neighbors, and cherish the hope that there might be something more than endless emptiness.
The screenplay is based on Peter Heller's 2012 novel of the same name, which became a New York Times bestseller. For Heller, a previously exclusive nonfiction writer, this was his first foray into fiction.
Critics noted that the story is distinguished by its unique atmosphere of desolation, a combination of raw realism and poetic language. Heller's apocalypse isn't just a spectacle – the author is interested in what remains of the individual when familiar supports disappear.
Who Makes the Movie & Who Stars in It?
Screenwriter Mark L. Smith, known for co-writing The Revenant with Alejandro González Iñárritu and for his work as the showrunner of the brutal Western series American Primeval, handled the novel's adaptation.
Ridley Scott had no intention of softening the material, and the R rating confirms that the film will retain the book's gritty tone. Jacob Elordi, star of Euphoria, plays the lead role.
Scott initially considered Paul Mescal, with whom he worked on Gladiator II, but Mescal declined due to scheduling conflicts with the Beatles biopic.
Josh Brolin plays Bangley. Margaret Qualley, who gained recognition for her role in The Substance, plays a doctor who lives on a ranch with her father, played by Guy Pearce.
