Ridley Scott turns 89 this year and is showing no signs of slowing down. Less than two years after Gladiator II, he is back with The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller adapted from Peter Heller’s acclaimed 2012 novel. 20th Century Studios has released the first trailer, and it confirms what Scott’s best work has always delivered: a world rendered with enough visual authority that you feel its weight before the story has fully introduced itself.
Jacob Elordi plays Hig, a civilian pilot navigating a Colorado landscape nearly emptied by a catastrophic flu virus, with only his dog and an unlikely alliance to keep him grounded. That alliance is with Bangley, an aloof, gun-toting ex-Marine played by Josh Brolin, and the two have carved out an isolated existence defending an abandoned airstrip from outside threats. The equilibrium breaks when a crash landing at a secluded ranch brings Hig face to face with Cima, a young medic played by Margaret Qualley, and her former Navy SEAL father played by Guy Pearce. A mysterious radio transmission running beneath the plot suggests that survival alone may not be enough to keep a person going.
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Elordi’s path to the lead role carries its own backstory. Paul Mescal, who headlined Gladiator II, was originally set to play Hig before departing in early 2025 due to scheduling conflicts with Sam Mendes’ sprawling four-film Beatles biopics. Elordi stepped in despite a schedule of his own, balancing production in Italy with commitments to Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights and the long-awaited third season of Euphoria. For an actor still establishing himself as a leading man at the feature level, it is the kind of role that either confirms the ceiling or raises it considerably.
The screenplay comes from Mark L. Smith, who wrote both The Revenant and Twisters, two films that understood how to use landscape as a dramatic force. A supporting cast that includes Benedict Wong and Allison Janney rounds out a project that arrives with genuine awards pedigree already attached to it. The Dog Stars opens in theaters on August 28, 2026.
