Ridley Scott’s Explosive Post-Apocalyptic Thriller ‘The Dog Stars’ Set to Dominate Summer 2026
Ridley Scott is a supremely accomplished connoisseur of immersive cinematic storytelling. Over his nearly half-century-long career, he has transported us most absorbingly to ancient Rome, Crusade-era Jerusalem, and multiple incarnations of the future. His upcoming film, “The Dog Stars,” takes place in a post-apocalyptic world wherein humanity has been decimated by a deadly pandemic, and brave, resourceful survivors struggle to evade the depredations of vicious scavengers who are unsubtly known as the Reapers. As it turns out, we’ll have to wait quite a bit longer for this film than we expected.
“The Dog Stars” – to Cap off 2026’s August
“The Dog Stars” was filmed between April and June of this year, and it seemed that it would be primed and ready to go by the spring of 2026: it was previously slated for release on March 27. However, it was announced (via Deadline) on December 22 that its distributor, 20th Century Studios, has reshuffled the release dates of a few forthcoming movies. These are “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” (ironically true to its title, it will come out on March 27, two weeks earlier than previously planned), Pixar‘s “Gatto” (moved from June 18 of 2027 to March 5 of 2027), and “The Dog Stars,” which is now set to be released on August 28 of 2026.
About the Film – Star Power, Rising Talents, 2012 Source Material
“The Dog Stars” will be a film adaptation of a novel of the same name, written by Peter Heller (whose other titles include “The Painter,” “The Orchard,” and “The Last Ranger”). This book was published in 2012, so any parallels between its post-apocalyptic premise and the horrendous COVID-19 pandemic are purely coincidental (though it’s hard to say what pointed additions Scott may have made with his post-COVID adaptation).
Scott’s “The Dog Stars” will feature a stellar cast. In the starring role is Jacob Elordi (“Priscilla,” “Saltburn”), who will play a protagonist named Hig. Margaret Qualley (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “The Substance”) will play Cima, while Josh Brolin (“No Country for Old Men,” “Weapons”) is in the role of Bangley. Guy Pearce (“Memento,” “The Hurt Locker,” Scott’s two “Alien” prequels) and Benedict Wong (“Sunshine,” “Weapons” again) have also been cast; their characters’ names remain undisclosed.
Conclusion
“The Dog Stars” is a very auspicious specimen among 2026’s planned releases: a post-apocalyptic thriller adapted from a well-reviewed novel by a director who has told many great stories in a variety of worlds removed from our own. The wait will be much longer than we were once told to anticipate, but here’s hoping that it will be well worth it.
