While Ridley Scott’s next movie, The Dog Stars, aims to be a big blockbuster hit for the legendary British director, its fate will hang on the appeal of one star in particular. The Dog Stars sees director Ridley Scott return to the sci-fi genre for the first time since 2017’s Alien: Covenant.
While Alien: Covenant’s divisive ending split audiences and critics alike, the franchise outing was still a moderate box office success for Scott. Three years earlier, his sci-fi novel adaptation The Martian became a $603 million blockbuster hit, only two years after Alien’s prequel Prometheus earned Scott one of the biggest hits of his career with its $403 million box office payday.
Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars Is Hoping Jacob Elordi Is A Box Office Draw Now Too
Elordi’s Streaming Success and Critical Acclaim Have Not Yet Translated To Big-Screen Hits
Since Alien: Covenant, Scott’s fortunes have been more mixed at the box office. Napoleon and The Last Duel were both costly flops, although 2024’s Gladiator II proved a success for the director. Gen Z heartthrob Paul Mescal’s role in Gladiator II could be credited with the project’s success, so Scott’s next choice of leading man was not a surprise.
An adaptation of author Peter Heller’s 2012 post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel of the same name, Scott’s upcoming sci-fi The Dog Stars is set in the aftermath of a pandemic that has almost wiped out humanity. The Dog Stars centers on a pilot and a stoic former marine who try to find evidence of other human life while warding off invaders.
While Elordi gained critical acclaim for his roles in Saltburn, Priscilla, and Euphoria, his biggest successes have mostly been limited to streaming services.
Euphoria star Jacob Elordi plays the main character of The Dog Stars, providing the Gen Z superstar with his first major blockbuster role. While Elordi gained critical acclaim for his roles in Saltburn, Priscilla, and Euphoria, his biggest successes have mostly been limited to streaming services.
The Kissing Booth trilogy fared well on Netflix, but Elordi’s box-office bona fides have not yet been tested. 2025 and 2026 will see the release of both Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights, but Elordi’s casting in the latter has already caused controversy due to allegations of whitewashing.
While Elordi has consistently headlined big hits on streaming and been part of critically acclaimed projects, he has never been at the center of a major blockbuster. The Dog Stars needs him to be a box office draw now, rather than just a Gen Z heartthrob.
That said, Mescal’s star power was comparatively untested when Scott gave him the lead role in Gladiator II, with only indie hits like All of Us Strangers and Aftersun to his name. As such, The Dog Stars could see Ridley Scott prove that Jacob Elordi has leading man potential yet.
