Scott Goes Small. Just Kidding. It's a Hundred Million Dollar Hangar.
Ridley Scott just punked half of Hollywood—again. The veteran director, known for making warfare cinematic and monarchs mythic, is now deep into production on The Dog Stars, a film supposedly stripped-down and “intimate.” Except it's not. It's a blockbuster in disguise, with a release date now set for March 27, 2026, and a budget north of $100 million.
The story? Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, Saltburn) plays Hig, a loner pilot mourning the old world, bunkered in an airplane hangar with a dog, a gunman, and a grief bigger than the sky. It's based on Peter Heller's elegiac novel about life after a pandemic—think The Road, but with aircraft maintenance.
Why This Changes Nothing—And That's the Problem
Here's the thing: Scott has made a career of swinging epic. From Blade Runner to Napoleon, he paints in big, bold, bank-breaking strokes. So when reports hinted that The Dog Stars might be his stripped-down return to character-first storytelling, some dared to hope for a spiritual successor to The Duellists.
But nah. Turns out, even apocalypse tales need IMAX-sized wallets now. This “small” story is being told on the kind of scale that suggests a secret third act featuring airborne gunfights and pandemic flashbacks shot like Black Hawk Down.
It's not the first time Scott's baited us with “intimate” and delivered “imperial.” Remember House of Gucci? Promised chamber drama. Delivered operatic murder couture.
The Real Story: How a Quiet Novel Became a Blockbuster Trojan Horse
There's a weird symmetry here. Peter Heller's The Dog Stars is about a man learning to live again after the end of the world. Scott's version? Maybe it's about Hollywood learning to make “small” movies again… by inflating them with budget helium and casting Guy Pearce.
Mark L. Smith, who penned The Revenant and co-wrote Twisters, is scripting—so expect windswept stoicism, poetic nihilism, and at least one moment where a character screams into the void. That alone might be worth the $100M.
And let's talk casting: Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Pearce? That's not a survival tale—it's an awards season Hunger Games lineup.
A former crew member was overheard saying, “They keep calling it a ‘quiet character study,' but we're blowing up a plane next week. Quiet for Ridley means under 10 explosions.”
So—Prestige Pivot or Post-Apocalyptic Overkill?
Would you rather watch this or spend $20 on dog treats and reread Station Eleven? No judgment. (Okay, maybe a little.)
Because The Dog Stars might be beautiful. It might even be brilliant. But it sure as hell won't be small.
