A few months ago, Ridley Scott’s “The Dog Stars” was dated for March 27, 2026 release. The film was shot this past spring in the UK.
I’m hearing the film has been testing very well these last few months, and the result of that is it will most likely be changing its release date. 20th Century is eyeing an early fall release for ‘Dog Stars’ — look out for an announcement in the coming weeks.
That March date never quite made sense, especially given the prestige credentials this film has on paper. There has also been zero advanced marketing for it — no poster, no trailer, no stills.
The adaptation of Peter Heller’s post-apocalyptic novel features a high-profile cast including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, and Margaret Qualley. Scott is directing from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith (”The Revenant,” “Twisters”). Harry Gregson-Williams (“Gladiator II”) is the composer.
Elordi stars as Hig, a widowed pilot navigating a world ravaged by pandemic. Living in near-isolation in an airplane hangar with only his dog and a hardened gunman for company, his solitary life is disrupted when a mysterious radio transmission sparks a journey into the unknown.
In a recent interview, Scott yet again praised himself (“I was born with a good eye”). He has just finished shooting “The Dog Stars,” in only 34 days, with Erik Messerschmidt behind the camera, and called it “maybe my best movie.” Don’t take that assertion too seriously — Scott said the same thing about “Gladiator II,” and we all know how that one turned out.
Though initially framed as a return to smaller-scale storytelling, “The Dog Stars” is shaping up to be another pricey undertaking. This follows Scott’s recent trend, with both “Napoleon” and “Gladiator II” each carrying price tags north of $200M.