Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic movie with Jacob Elrodi, The Dog Stars, has added three stars from 2025 Oscar-nominated movies. Soon after Gladiator II was released in November 2024, the legendary director already had his next project in the works. The Dog Stars, an adaptation of Peter Heller’s post-apocalyptic novel, was originally going to reunite Scott with his Gladiator II star Paul Mescal, who had to exit the project due to the Beatles biopics and was replaced by Elordi, who will play a crop duster pilot named Hig.

Now, the movie is expanding its cast. According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce are in final talks to join The Dog Stars. All three have starred in 2025 Best Picture nominees – Qualley (The Substance), Josh Brolin (Dune: Part Two), and Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) – though the last of which is the only one nominated for an Oscar this year. The Dog Stars is scheduled to start shooting in late April in Italy’s Dolomite region, which will be standing in for the Great Plains and the Rockies.

What Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin & Guy Pearce Joining The Dog Stars Means For The Movie

Who Are They Playing?

The major casting announcement comes with much information about whom the three actors will be playing in The Dog Stars, which was adapted to the screen by The Revenant scribe Mark L. Smith, who also recently wrote Twisters and Netflix’s miniseries American Primeval. In The Dog Stars, Jacob Elordi plays Hig, a crop duster pilot living on an abandoned Colorado airfield hidden in the foothills of a mountain range, the Great Plains, long-forgotten farmlands, and small towns. In the post-apocalyptic story, society has changed radically, forcing survivors to live in harsh conditions.

Hig lives on a military base with a hardened ranger named Bangley, who will be played by Josh Brolin. Hig flies his Cessna daily, accompanied by his loyal dog Jasper, to search for supplies. On his last and deepest search, Hig crash-lands on a secluded ranch, where he meets Cima (played by Margaret Qualley), a young doctor and the daughter of an over-protective and world-weary father (played by Guy Pearce). Their meeting sparks the possibility of a new, hopeful future for all.

Our Take On Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin & Guy Pearce Joining The Dog Stars

It Marks Multiple Reunions With Ridley Scott

The addition of the three new cast members marks multiple reunions with Ridley Scott. Josh Brolin, who received an Oscar nomination for Milk, previously collaborated with the director on American Gangster, as did Guy Pearce on Prometheus. The Dog Stars will be Qualley’s first collaboration with Scott and, as it did for Paul Mescal, teaming up with the legendary director should signal an exciting new chapter in Qualley’s career.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline