When does ‘The Dog Stars’ release? Everything we know about Jacob Elordi’s sci-fi thriller
Ridley Scott is taking the audience to a post-apocalyptic world with ‘The Dog Stars.’ The trailer for the sci-fi thriller gives viewers a look at Jacob Elordi’s fight for survival after a pandemic wipes out the entire population. ‘The Dog Stars’ arrives in theaters on August 28, and the film marks Scott’s first project since ‘Gladiator II.’
The movie adapts Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name. Mark L. Smith wrote the screenplay after previously working on films such as ‘The Revenant’ and ‘Twisters.’ Elordi plays Hig, a civilian pilot trying to survive in a world transformed by a devastating pandemic.
He lives in isolation with Bangley, an ex-Marine and military survivalist played by Josh Brolin. Their lives revolve around just surviving, though Hig does not forget the past or his memories of his former life before the catastrophe. In the trailer, one can see Hig reminisce about his wife and dog, thinking about all he has lost.
A mysterious radio transmission becomes a turning point for Hig. It makes Hig leave his safe homestead and step into the unknown as his journey brings him face-to-face with new dangers and other survivors. The trailer makes one warning clear: surviving the end of the world does not mean surviving the people left behind. Margaret Qualley plays Cima, who asks Hig about the life he lived before the world changed. The cast also includes Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, and Allison Janney.
The film went through a major casting change before production began. Paul Mescal had originally planned to play Hig but left the project because of scheduling conflicts connected to Sam Mendes’ Beatles films. Elordi later took over the role despite his own busy schedule. Production began in Italy in April 2025. ‘The Dog Stars’ also marks Scott’s return to 20th Century Studios. The director previously worked with the studio on films including ‘Prometheus’ and ‘The Martian.’
The trailer sets up a story about loss, isolation, and the search for something worth living for. Hig must leave the world he knows behind after hearing the mysterious signal. ‘The Dog Stars’ brings Scott, Elordi, Brolin and Qualley together for a survival thriller that turns one pilot’s search for hope into a dangerous journey through a broken world.
