Jacob Elordi Transforms for Ridley Scott’s New Post-Apocalyptic Thriller ‘The Dog Stars’
Ridley Scott is taking audiences into a very different kind of world with his next film, The Dog Stars. Instead of exploring space, ancient battles, or futuristic cities, the legendary filmmaker is heading into a broken version of Earth where survival has become the only rule.
Based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel, The Dog Stars follows Hig, played by Jacob Elordi, a man trying to survive after a deadly flu virus destroys much of the world’s population. With only his dog and an old Cessna airplane by his side, Hig searches for signs of life and hope while defending what remains of his small world from dangerous survivors.
The first look at Elordi’s character shows a much more grounded and physical role for the actor, who has recently appeared in projects like The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Frankenstein, and Wuthering Heights. The film gives him the chance to play a character far removed from his previous work, as Hig must rely on survival skills, patience, and his connection with nature.
Empire spoke with Ridley Scott about the project, and the director admitted that he was unsure about making another story centered around the end of the world. With so many post-apocalyptic movies already released, Scott wanted to make sure The Dog Stars had something different to offer.
“We’re doing too many end-of-the-world stories,” Scott said. “This is not The Road. I did not want to do World War Z again; no zombies, please. I thought, ‘What the fuck am I gonna do here?’”
What eventually attracted Scott was the emotional side of the story. Instead of focusing only on destruction and violence, he saw a movie about human connection and the need for companionship even in the darkest moments.
The filmmaker explained that the script from Mark L. Smith, known for writing The Revenant, helped him see the hopeful side of the story. “There’s a lot of optimism within the context of the story, and the bottom line is, people do need people,” Scott said.
Although The Dog Stars is a survival drama, Scott also made it clear that creating action scenes was never his main concern. The director, known for films such as Gladiator, Alien, and Black Hawk Down, said intense sequences come naturally to him.
“No action scene is challenging for me, dude,” Scott joked. “Are you fucking kidding? It’s easy.”
Scott originally considered Paul Mescal for the role of Hig after working with him on Gladiator II. However, Mescal’s schedule changed after he joined another major project, leading Scott to look more closely at Elordi.
The director said he had already been interested in Elordi and quickly realized he was the right choice. Scott told Empire that Elordi’s real-life personality helped him fit the role perfectly.
“His background is a farm lad,” Scott said. “He can drive tractors, he’s great with dogs, and he’s a very outdoors, practical kind of guy. I met with him, and that was it.”
With Scott’s experience creating large-scale films and Elordi bringing a fresh energy to the lead role, The Dog Stars is shaping up to be a different kind of survival story. Rather than focusing only on the collapse of civilization, the film appears ready to explore what people hold onto when everything else is gone.
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