Ridley Scott’s ‘The Dog Stars’ Just Dropped Its First Clip, and It Might Be His Most Hopeful Apocalypse Yet

Ridley Scott has spent decades building a reputation as one of cinema’s most reliable architects of bleak, unforgiving futures, from the neon-soaked dystopia of ‘Blade Runner’ to the harsh survivalist grit of ‘The Martian.’ That legacy makes his latest venture into post-apocalyptic storytelling feel simultaneously familiar and surprisingly different.

Anticipation for this next chapter of Scott’s filmography has been building steadily since the project’s earliest casting announcements, fueled by a genuinely stacked ensemble and a source novel with a devoted following of its own. With the film’s release now just weeks away, fans finally have their first real taste of what’s coming.

DiscussingFilm shared the first clip from ‘The Dog Stars,’ Scott’s upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller starring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin, courtesy of Fandango.

The clip shows Elordi’s pilot character Hig reminiscing about life before the world ended and meeting Qualley’s character Cima for the first time, with an immediate sense of trust forming between the two despite the dangers of their broken world.

The film follows a survivor navigating a devastated Colorado landscape who sets out to trace the origin of a mysterious radio signal cutting through the static of his abandoned world. Based on Peter Heller’s acclaimed 2012 novel of the same name, the screenplay comes from Mark L. Smith, whose previous credits include ‘The Revenant’ and ‘Twisters.’

Elordi stars as Hig, a civilian pilot who lost his wife to a devastating pandemic and now lives a guarded, isolated existence on an abandoned airbase alongside his loyal dog and Brolin’s character Bangley, a tough, mysterious ex-Marine. When a random radio transmission crackles through his vintage Cessna, Hig finds himself risking everything to chase the signal and the flicker of hope it represents.

Qualley plays Cima, a medic with, according to earlier reporting, “no one to heal” within the isolated world the characters inhabit. Guy Pearce rounds out the ensemble as Cima’s stoic and protective father, described as distrustful of outsiders given the dangers posed by unknown survivors in their fractured society. Benedict Wong and Allison Janney also feature in supporting roles.

Speaking with Esquire about the film’s tone, Scott made clear that despite his history with dystopian storytelling, ‘The Dog Stars’ takes a notably different emotional approach than something like ‘Blade Runner.’ “I think people will be surprised and engaged actually. I would say, hmm… charmed as well,” Scott told Esquire, while acknowledging the film doesn’t entirely shy away from violence.

The road to production wasn’t entirely smooth behind the scenes, either. Paul Mescal was originally attached to lead the film following his work with Scott on ‘Gladiator II,’ but exited the project in early 2025 due to scheduling conflicts tied to Sam Mendes’ upcoming Beatles biopics, paving the way for Elordi to step into the role instead.

With ‘The Dog Stars’ set to hit theaters on August 28 via 20th Century Studios, this first clip offers audiences their clearest glimpse yet of the human connection at the heart of Scott’s latest apocalyptic vision.

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