Ridley Scott‘s next film after “Gladiator II” is his Bee Gees biopic, right? Not so fast. Deadline reports that Scott has another upcoming project in the works, and this one sees him potentially reteam with his latest star, Paul Mescal.
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Mescal is in final talks to star again for Scott in “The Dog Stars,” a near-future thriller over at 20th Century. Based on Peter Heller‘s 2012 novel of the same name, the film takes place in a USA decimated after a pandemic and desperately fending off roaming foreign invaders. When two men–a civilian pilot and an ex-marine–get a random transmission at the abandoned Colorado airbase they live on, the pair (and their dog) risk everything to find its source, hoping it leads to a better life. From the sounds of things, Mescal would star as the civilian pilot, which leaves another A-List actor for the ex-marine. Oh, and a great movie dog, too.
Mark L. Smith adapts Heller’s novel for the big screen, with Scott apparently loving the script so much he decided to greenlight it ASAP. Scott plans to shoot the film next Spring, then shoot his Bee Gees biopic at Paramount later in 2025. But the quick shooting schedule for “The Dog Stars” may be an issue for Mescal, who returns to Broadway early next year to reprise Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” So stay tuned to see if Mescal officially signs on for this one.
Other players involved in “The Dog Star” include Cliff Roberts, who co-produces the film with Scott through the director’s Scott Free banner. The project also sees Scott reunite with 20th Century’s head Scott Asbell. The pair worked together on some of Scott’s biggest hits of the last 15 years, including “Prometheus” and “The Martian.” Asbell and Scott also co-produced “Alien: Romulus,” the latest in the sci-horror franchise Scott kicked off in 1979.
As for Smith, he’s best known for penning “The Revenant,” but he’s fresh off of scripts for “Twisters,” “The Boys In The Boat,” and “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” too. Up next for the screenwriter? The Netflix series “American Primeval,” which hits the streamer in January 2025.
So nevermind about the Bee Gees, or “Gladiator III“ for that matter: “The Dog Stars” looks like Ridley Scott’s next picture. Will age ever slow down the 86-year-old?