The Dog Stars (film)

The Dog Stars (film)

The Dog Stars is a 2026 post-apocalyptic action thriller film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith, based on the 2012 novel by Peter Heller. The film stars Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce, and follows the survivors of a global flu pandemic in rural Colorado.

The Dog Stars premiered at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 20, 2026, and was released in the United States by 20th Century Studios on August 28, 2026. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a commercial disappointment.

Plot

The Dog Stars (film)

A 1956 Cessna 182, the type of plane Hig flies

In 2035, many years after a devastating flu pandemic almost eradicated humanity, Hig, a former mechanic, lives in Erie, Colorado, with a dog named Jasper and Bangley, a former Marine turned survivalist. Hig occasionally pilots a small propeller plane into a depopulated Denver to gather supplies of fuel and food. To Bangley's chagrin, Hig also supplies a nearby Mennonite community with food and occasional mechanical repairs.

When two teenage strangers approach, Bangley shoots them dead from his distance look-out point, creating a conflict with the more sympathetic Hig. While flying his propeller plane, Hig picks up a radio signal originating from Grand Junction, Colorado, that suggests human life there. Hig has picked up this signal multiple times throughout the years since the pandemic, but always quickly lost contact.

While sleeping outside one day, Hig and Jasper encounter a large group trying to ambush their home. The two fight them off until Bangley appears to help them. Jasper dies in the attack, spurring Hig to visit Denver to bury him next to his deceased wife at their old home.

Heartbroken, Hig decides he must find the source of the Grand Junction radio signal. Bangley, who does not approve of the journey, stays behind in Erie. After experiencing a mechanical failure, Hig lands in a valley where a father and daughter, Pops and Cima, live. The two form an uneasy alliance with Hig, as he repairs his plane and cuts down trees to make a runway. Hig starts a romantic relationship with Cima, who asks him to stay with them.

After their farm is raided in an attack, Hig, Cima, and Pops flee on Hig's plane. They make it to Grand Junction Regional Airport, where the radio operator hesitantly allows them to land and enter their community unarmed. Upon arrival, they are uneasy. Darlene, a former flight attendant who is the leader of the community, orders Cima to marry a soldier, due to her previous medical education. Hig, Cima and Pops escape, discovering the community's cannibalism. As they fly away, they bomb Grand Junction with grenades from the air.

The three fly back to Erie to check on Bangley, where they discover a major attack occurred at the airfield. Bangley, injured but alive, reluctantly comes with them to the Mennonite community to establish a new settlement there.

Cast

The Dog Stars (film)

Other actors in the film include Ewen Bremner as the Crossbow Hunter, James Craze as Logan, Sam Spruell as John, Sai Bennett as Melissa, Sebastian Rokison-Woodall as Ben, and Alara-Star Khan as Matilda.

Production

Development

The Dog Stars movie poster in Italy

In November 2024, Ridley Scott stated that after shooting his planned Bee Gees biopic, he wanted to direct a then-unrevealed sci-fi film, adding that "it's already written". This project was later revealed to be based on Peter Heller's 2012 novel The Dog Stars, adapted by Mark L. Smith and Christopher Wilkinson; only Smith received final credit for the screenplay. By this time, it was set to be Scott's next film, with filming set to begin in spring 2025.

Casting

In November 2024, it was announced that Paul Mescal was in advanced negotiations to star in the film. However, due to scheduling conflicts, it was later reported in January 2025 that Jacob Elordi was in early negotiations to replace Mescal. Although Mescal reportedly exited the film due to his schedule with Sam Mendes' four-part biopic on the Beatles, Matthew Belloni from Puck News later reported that the real reason Scott replaced him with Elordi stemmed that Scott blamed him for the underperformance of Gladiator II (2024), feeling he wasn't "masculine enough" as Lucius Verus Aurelius / "Hanno". In February, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce were in final negotiations to join the cast. In early May 2025, Benedict Wong joined the cast.

Filming

Film set preparation in Avezzano, Italy, in May 2025

Principal photography began in Bordano, Italy, in April 2025. From May 12 to 16, filming took place in Cansiglio, a plateau in the Alpine foothills. Later that month, filming took place in Avezzano, Ovindoli and L'Aquila–Preturo Airport in Abruzzo. In June, production moved to Rome, where filming took place at Cinecittà Studios and in Casal Bernocchi and the EUR. Production concluded in late June 2025 after one-month filming in the natural landscape of Bosco Macchia Grande in Manziana, near Rome. Scenes were also shot at Pinewood Studios.

Release

The Dog Stars (film)

The Dog Stars premiered at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on August 20, 2026, and was released in the United States on August 28, 2026. It was previously scheduled for March 27, 2026.

Reception

Box office

As of September 1, 2026, The Dog Stars has grossed $9 million in the United States and Canada, and $11 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $20 million.

In the United States and Canada, The Dog Stars was released alongside Buddy, Coyote vs. Acme and Idiots, and was projected to gross $10–14 million from 3,300 theaters in its opening weekend. The film ended up underperforming, debuting at $8 million.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 39% of 190 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "A derivative and drowsy tour through the post-apocalypse, The Dog Stars' lush visuals can't compensate for its listless narrative and underpowered pacing." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 49 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.

Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com gave the film one and a half out of four stars, writing, "It probably takes more effort to make a boring post-apocalyptic survivalist action film than to make a good one. If that's the case, then Ridley Scott must've been working overtime on The Dog Stars." Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "Somewhat aptly released at the tail end of a long, loud movie summer, this is a surprisingly low-energy, low-incident blockbuster; you'd appreciate its mellow, character-oriented approach if it gave you any real characters to hold onto." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter was more positive, writing, "Muted but never dull, The Dog Stars seems unlikely to land near the top of anyone's Ridley Scott rankings. But it's an appealingly mellow watch, even if that might seem antithetical to a post-apocalyptic drama positioned squarely in the shadow of death."