After conquering the arena with the highly-anticipated sequel Gladiator II, Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal are re-teaming for an adaptation of the Peter Heller novel The Dog Stars. Mescal is in advanced negotiations to star in the feature-length project, which hails from 20th Century Studios. Scott’s been weighing options for his next endeavor, including Paramount’s Bee Gees biopic, which is likely on hold while The Dog Stars takes priority. After examining their schedules, Scott and Mescal could shoot The Dog Stars next Spring after Mescal’s starring role in a Broadway presentation of A Streetcar Named Desire, in which the Gladiator II star plays Stanley Kowalski. Twisters scribe Mark L. Smith adapted Heller’s novel for Scott’s film.
Here’s a synopsis for Heller’s novel courtesy of Amazon:
Hig’s wife is gone, his friends are dead, and he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, Jasper, and a mercurial, gun-toting misanthrope named Bangley.
But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.
Before The Dog Stars rolls cameras, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II opens in theaters on November 22. The budget-breaking sequel “continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people.”
Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Senzel Washington, Derek Jacobi, Joseph Quinn, and more.
A special behind-the-scenes Gladiator II presentation comes to CBS at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on Monday, Nov. 18, and also streaming on Paramount+. Produced by Paramount Pictures, this in-depth presentation of Scott’s return to the ring gives viewers unprecedented access to the film’s elaborate production, larger-than-life sets, including a reconstruction of Ancient Rome, to characters, combat training, costumes, historical accuracy, scoring, and more! The Making of Gladiator II allows you to shadow Ridley Scott as he works to create one of his most ambitious films.
Are you excited about Paul Mescal reuniting with Ridley Scott for an adaptation of Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars? Is the book any good? Are you looking forward to Scott’s Bee Gees movie? Let us know in the comments section below.