Ridley Scott's film The Dog Starshas been in development for a while, but it officially has a release date now and seems to be almost finished. The Dog Stars will be released in 2026 and follows an ambitious pilot who roams a post-apocalyptic landscape after a deadly virus wipes out the majority of humanity. The film is based on Peter Heller's acclaimed sci-fi novel of the same name and stars Jacob Elordi in the lead role following Paul Mescal's exit from the project last year. 674446

Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, The Dog Stars, will reportedly arrive in 2026. Starring Jacob Elordi (Euphoria), Josh Brolin (Dune), and Margaret Qualley (The Substance), the Gladiator II director's next film is based on Peter Heller's 2012 novel of the same name. With a script by Twisters' Mark L. Smith, the movie is set in the aftermath of a catastrophic flu virus that nearly wiped out humanity.

Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic movie with Jacob Elrodi, The Dog Stars, has added three stars from 2025 Oscar-nominated movies. Soon after Gladiator II was released in November 2024, the legendary director already had his next project in the works. The Dog Stars, an adaptation of Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel, was originally going to reunite Scott with his Gladiator II star Paul Mescal, who had to exit the project due to the Beatles biopics and was replaced by Elordi, who will play a crop duster pilot named Hig.

Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic movie, The Dog Stars, has lost its lead actor, and now Jacob Elordi is in talks to replace him. The legendary director's latest film was Gladiator 2, starring Paul Mescal as Lucius, and ahead of its release in November 2024, it was reported that Ridley Scott and the lead star were already reuniting for another movie, The Dog Stars. However, in December, Scott said the reunion might not happen since Mescal will be busy filming the Beatles biopics.

Ridley Scott revealed the surprising reason why his next collaboration with Gladiator II star Paul Mescal may not happen. Scott and Mescal teamed up for the first time for the long-awaited Gladiator II. In the epic sequel, Mescal played Lucius, who was revealed to be the son of Russell Crowe's Maximus from the first Gladiator movie. Mescal has received a lot of praise for his role, in which he seeks revenge against the Roman Empire for the death of his wife.

Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal are already reuniting for another movie, The Dog Stars, just ahead of Gladiator 2's release. Over 20 years after the original movie won Best Picture, Scott returned to direct a sequel centered on Paul Mescal as an older Lucius, the son of Maximus and Lucilla, who becomes a gladiator after his home is invaded by the Roman army. Mescal broke out with his Emmy-nominated performance in the Hulu miniseries Normal People and his Oscar-nominated turn in A24's Aftersun, but is now set for his biggest role yet in Gladiator 2.