Weapons and The Three-Body Problem star Benedict Wong is gearing up to venture into the gripping realm of a post-apocalyptic world with Ridley Scott’s upcoming film, The Dog Stars. Currently in production in beautiful Italy, this ambitious project boasts an impressive cast, including Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, Priscilla, The Narrow Road to the Deep North), Margaret Qualley (The Substance, Maid, Kinds of Kindness), Josh Brolin (Running Man, Weapons, Outer Range), and Guy Pearce (The Brutalist, Neighbours, Inside).
The Dog Stars is being developed by 20th Century Studios, based on the evocative 2012 novel penned by Peter Heller (Burn, The River, The Painter, The Last Ranger). Initially, Scott had his sights set on reuniting with Gladiator II star Paul Mescal for this journey, but scheduling conflicts due to his role in Sam Mendes’s Beatles anthology forced a change. Mescal is set to portray Paul McCartney, making his involvement crucial to that project. The screenplay is a collaboration between Mark L. Smith, known for The Revenant and the Netflix mini-series American Primeval, and Christopher Wilkinson (Ali, Nixon, Birth of the Dragon).
The official synopsis for Heller’s gripping novel teases an emotional rollercoaster:
“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 breaks through the static of his radio in a 1956 Cessna, hope ignites within him that a better life might exist beyond their confined world. Risking everything, he steps past his point of no return and follows the static-laden trail, uncovering something that is simultaneously better and worse than he ever anticipated.”
Benedict Wong, best known as Wong—the Master of the Mystic Arts and former librarian of Kamar-Taj—brings an impressive range to the screen with notable appearances in films and series like Annihilation, The Three-Body Problem, Deadly Class (why did that get canceled?!), and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Up next, Wong will be seen in the much-anticipated horror mystery Weapons, directed by Zach Cregger. In this spine-chilling tale, a group of children mysteriously vanishes from the same class on the same night, leaving the community to unravel the enigma behind their disappearance.
So, where do you stand on the excitement scale for The Dog Stars? Are you ready for this emotional journey? Share your hype in the comments below!
