Matthew Orton Wrote Latest Draft for Ridley Scott’s ‘Battle of Britain’

Ridley Scott, 87, isn’t resting on his laurels. He’s going full speed ahead with another epic project.

He recently told The Guardian that his next film might be that “Battle of Britain” project he teased last year. It doesn’t appear to be his much-delayed “Bee Gees” biopic, which he was supposed to shoot two falls ago. I’m sure he’ll announce something soon.

This to say, Matthew Orton has written the screenplay for “Battle of Britain.” His other credits include “Operation Finale,” “Cleaner,” and he was one of several writers (too many to name) to have attempted rewrites on “Captain America: Brave New World.”

Orton is rewriting a screenplay originally penned by Joe Penhall, tackling the 1940 air campaign in which the RAF and the FAA defended the UK against the Nazis. With Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” having already somewhat explored this historic event, Scott isn’t waiting to see how others handle it — he says it’s “my next film.”

Following “Napoleon” and “Gladiator II,” this is set to be another Scott-directed epic on a massive scale. There’s really no chance he’d make an intimate affair. Scott describes it as a “war movie.”

Earlier this year, Scott actually shot a new film, “The Dog Stars,” an adaptation of Peter Heller’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel. The ensemble cast is impressive, featuring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, and Margaret Qualley. A spring 2026 release has been set for that one.

Regarding the now potentially scrapped “Bee Gees” movie, much of the delay stemmed from Scott negotiating his salary to direct. It appears to have been a contract dispute with Paramount, which wasn’t willing to pay him the amount he demanded to helm the project.

“I was being asked to go too far,” he claimed. “And I said, ‘No. Next!’ They didn’t like my deal. So I said, I’ll move on. I’m expensive, but I’m fucking good.”