MOVIE NEWS – The rollout plan for Ridley Scott’s upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller has changed. The long-awaited The Dog Stars has been pushed back, reshaping where it lands in the crowded 2026 movie calendar.

20th Century Studios and Disney have officially postponed the release of Ridley Scott’s next feature. The filmmaker revealed in November 2024 that his follow-up to Gladiator II would adapt Peter Heller’s 2012 sci-fi novel The Dog Stars. Set after a catastrophic pandemic wipes out most of humanity, the story follows a man surviving with his dog and a firearm, until a mysterious radio transmission suggests others may still be out there.

According to Deadline, The Dog Stars is now set to premiere on August 28, 2026. Directed by Scott, the film stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce. Its former release slot, March 27, 2026, has since been reassigned to Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.

The sci-fi thriller was initially positioned to open the weekend after Project Hail Mary, another high-profile adaptation led by Ryan Gosling and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. With the shift, The Dog Stars will instead cap off the summer season, debuting alongside Jaume Collet-Serra’s reboot of Cliffjumper. That same weekend also brings Coyote vs. Acme, a project once written off by Warner Bros. Discovery and ultimately rescued for theatrical release by Ketchup Entertainment.

The Dog Stars Steps Away From a Crowded Spring Window

Ridley Scott remains one of cinema’s most celebrated directors, with science-fiction classics such as Alien, Blade Runner, and The Martian defining the genre. Still, later entries like Prometheus and Alien: Covenant left audiences divided. Moving The Dog Stars from spring to late summer could signal confidence from the studio, while also steering clear of heavy April competition including The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Drama, The Mummy, and Michael.

Scott’s output in the 2020s has been uneven. The Last Duel earned critical praise but faltered at the box office, while House of Gucci drew mixed reviews yet performed solidly as theaters reopened after the pandemic. Gladiator II may not have matched the cultural impact of the original, but it delivered commercially. The Dog Stars could become the director’s first true critical and financial triumph since The Martian over a decade ago.

Source: MovieWeb