A Ridley Scott film can be many things. It could be set in deep space, where no one can hear you scream. Or it can be set in a rain-lashed future-vi
A Ridley Scott film can be many things. It could be set in deep space, where no one can hear you scream. Or it can be set in a rain-lashed future-vision of 2019 LA. Or perhaps millennia ago at the Colosseum, where a gladiator fights for his freedom. Even at 88, his latest film takes him somewhere modern: The Dog Stars is an apocalyptic drama, depicting the aftermath of a brutal flu virus that has wiped out great swathes of the population. And in its wake, Jacob Elordi’s Hig – along with his dog, and an aged Cessna plane – seeks to find sparks of humanity out there, while protecting what he has from marauding survivors.
Based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel, The Dog Stars seems an ideal fit for Scott, with his blockbuster sensibilities and stories of underdog heroes. But the director was less sure. “We’re doing too many end-of-the-world stories,” he tells Empire. “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?’” Seeing how The Revenant screenwriter Mark L. Smith approached the material in his script, he was drawn to the airy in The Dog Stars’ story. “There’s a lot of optimism within the context of the story, and the bottom line is, people do need people,” he says. And, the action sequences were no issue. “No action scene is challenging for me, dude,” he hollers. “Are you fucking kidding? It’s easy.”
Plus, it offered the chance to work with Elordi (“Did you ever see The Narrow Road To The Deep North? He’s great in that”) after his initial choice for Hig had other commitments. “I had a good time doing Glad II with Paul [Mescal], and from that I thought it was going to be him,” says Scott. “But then he got hooked into playing Paul McCartney and I’m his friend, so I’m not going to complain. I’d had my eye on Jacob for a while anyway.” The Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein actor proved the perfect for the role after all. “His background is a farm lad,” says Scott. “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.” You could say, it was written in the stars.
Read Empire’s full The Dog Stars feature – speaking to Ridley Scott, Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin and Margaret Qualley – in The Odyssey issue, on sale Thursday July 2. Pre-order a copy online here. The Dog Stars comes to UK cinemas from August 26.
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