Ridley Scott and Josh Brolin say ‘The Dog Stars’ uses a post-pandemic world to test what “humanity” means

In a world where food, fuel and medicine have become scarce and trust is effectively the most valuable currency, “The Dog Stars” asks a difficult question: when survival is the instinct, what does it mean to be truly alive. In interviews surrounding the Aug. 28 theatrical opening, director and producer Ridley Scott and actor Josh Brolin framed the apocalypse at the center of the 20th Century Studios film not as a clean end, but as a worsening condition that forces people to decide what they are willing to sacrifice.

Scott, who was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards for his work in 1992, 2001 and 2002, said there is “nothing optimistic about the end of the world,” but noted that even after catastrophe, people still remain. He described survivors as falling into categories, “the good survivors and the bad survivors,” including those who are brutal and those who become killers. The film’s tension, he said, comes from that split, and from what it takes to function when the rules of society have collapsed.

The Dog Stars is set in 2035, after a deadly flu pandemic has decimated the earth’s population and left many survivors with a debilitating blood disease. The story follows Hig, played by Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi, a sensitive former mechanic who looks for supplies and connections and brings his dog Jasper on scouting missions. By contrast, Bangley, played by Oscar nominee Josh Brolin, is a tough-as-nails former Marine who has converted a deserted airstrip in Eerie, Colorado into a defensible homestead and is hyper-vigilant toward outsiders.

Scott and Brolin both linked the film’s emotional core to the relationship between Hig and Bangley, describing it as both necessary and fragile. Brolin said the two characters “absolutely need each other,” and that the exchange they represent can be negative or positive, but is still required. When Hig hears a cryptic radio transmission and leaves to find who is calling, the separation becomes a turning point, with Brolin describing how Bangley’s outward composure hides a deep dependence on the other person.

Brolin said the moment Hig departs “crushes Bangley,” adding that the character’s facade is “a necessary facade for what’s going on,” and that Bangley appears to need nothing while relying profoundly on someone else. The actor also tied the character dynamic to a broader theme of valuation: Bangley is “valued in a certain way,” while another, more basic human need is covered up because trust itself is dangerous. As Bangley confronts the possibility that survival without genuine connection may not be survival, the story pushes beyond action beats into a moral argument about attachment.

As Hig moves beyond the security of his airstrip home, the film expands into different enclaves and social models within the ruins. His search leads to an isolated canyon home occupied by Pops, played by Emmy winner Guy Pearce, and Pops’ daughter Cima, played by Golden Globe nominee Margaret Qualley, who offers Hig something he has “nearly forgotten”: genuine human connection. Scott also emphasized that the movie treats survival as more than optimism versus pessimism, pointing to how different skills become suddenly decisive in a broken world.

Scott said that the most useful people after disaster may be those whose abilities match the new reality, where knowing how to grow food can matter as much as technology once did. He singled out what he called a hidden Mennonite community, led by Aaron, played by Benedict Wong, and framed the irony of the setting: “Ironically, the Mennonites are farmers,” so “a farmer and a doctor become the most valuable assets you could possibly have.” Scott’s point was that practical competence, including farming expertise, can become a lifeline in a world that has lost its normal systems.

The adaptation’s creative process also became part of the on-the-record discussion. Scott said that once producers put the screenplay on his radar, he could not stop reading, describing an early reaction that made him worry the material could be mishandled. He said that when he reached about page 50, the script still held together, and he praised the way it did not “drop the ball.” Brolin, discussing his own reaction to the source prose, said that he hoped filmmakers would preserve the “poetry and social relevancy” he found in the book, and he described his trust in Scott’s choices when Ridley Scott called him about the project.

Behind the camera, Scott said the film was built with visual intent, reflecting his “track record” and the need to choose material that can be both compelling and commercial, given how expensive big productions are. Principal photography took place in Italy from April to June 2025, and the cast includes Allison Janney, Oscar winner and a seven-time Emmy Award winner, joining as Darlene.

For business watchers, the film is also a reminder of how major studios continue to blend premium auteurs and established IP with theatrical tentpoles. “The Dog Stars” is based on Peter Heller’s bestseller and pairs Scott’s brand of high-concept drama with a cast anchored by Oscar-nominated performers, a formula that can play well in both mainstream and prestige-facing audiences. Still, the Disney release details do not provide box-office guidance, marketing spend, streaming terms, or performance targets in the material available, so investors and analysts will need to wait for subsequent updates on debut results and audience reception after opening.

Looking ahead, the next benchmarks for Disney and 20th Century Studios will likely center on opening weekend performance, holdover strength, and how critics and viewers respond to the film’s central premise about trust and human connection. For Scott and Brolin’s characters, the storyline’s emotional focus could differentiate the film in a crowded post-pandemic genre landscape, but its commercial trajectory will depend on how broadly that message lands beyond the loyal fanbase of the novel. The film opens Aug. 28 in theaters.