Ridley Scott is returning to science fiction this week with The Dog Stars, a new post-apocalyptic thriller based on Peter Heller’s bestselling 2012 novel.
The film stars Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, and Allison Janney, and arrives in U.S. theaters on August 28.
What is The Dog Stars about?
The story takes place after a devastating pandemic has wiped out most of the population.
Hig, played by Jacob Elordi, lives at an abandoned Colorado airport with his dog and Bangley, a heavily armed survivalist played by Josh Brolin. Together, they’ve managed to carve out a relatively safe existence, even if it isn’t much of a life.
That changes when Hig picks up a mysterious radio transmission.
Believing there may be other survivors somewhere beyond the small world he and Bangley have built, Hig eventually leaves the safety of the airport and flies into the unknown.
Ridley Scott wanted the movie to have some hope
One thing that appears to separate The Dog Stars from a lot of post-apocalyptic movies is the tone Scott wanted to bring to it.
In an interview with Reuters, Scott said optimism was an important part of the movie.
The Dog Stars certainly isn’t cheerful, and its world can be brutal, but the story isn’t really about watching civilization fall apart. It’s about what happens afterward, when someone has survived long enough to start wondering whether survival by itself is enough.
Scott has been extremely positive about the finished film
Scott also seems unusually enthusiastic about how The Dog Stars turned out.
Earlier this year, he described it as potentially his “best movie” while discussing the project and its unusually fast production schedule.
That’s a big statement from the director of Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, and The Martian.
The Dog Stars cast
The main cast includes:
- Jacob Elordi as Hig
- Josh Brolin as Bangley
- Margaret Qualley as Cima
- Guy Pearce as Pops
- Benedict Wong
- Allison Janney
The screenplay was written by Mark L. Smith, who previously co-wrote The Revenant. Scott directs and also serves as a producer on the film.
The Dog Stars releases in U.S. theaters on August 28, 2026, through 20th Century Studios, with some international markets beginning their rollout earlier in the week.
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