The Dog Stars (2026)
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In a world ravaged by a global flu pandemic, a mechanic and a survivalist navigate the desolate Colorado landscape.
The story
In 2035, many years after a devastating flu pandemic almost eradicated humanity, Hig, a former mechanic, lives in Erie, Colorado, with a dog named Jasper and Bangley, a former Marine turned survivalist. Hig occasionally pilots a small propeller plane into a depopulated Denver to gather supplies of fuel and food. To Bangley's chagrin, Hig also supplies a nearby Mennonite community with food and occasional mechanical repairs. When two teenage strangers approach, Bangley shoots them dead, creating a conflict with the more sympathetic Hig. While flying his propeller plane, Hig picks up a radio signal originating from Grand Junction, Colorado, that suggests human life there.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2035, following a global flu pandemic, Hig, a mechanic, and Bangley, a survivalist, live in rural Colorado. After Hig's dog, Jasper, is killed during an ambush, Hig decides to find the source of a recurring radio signal from Grand Junction. He travels to a valley where he meets Pops and Cima, forming an alliance and starting a romance with Cima. After their farm is attacked, they flee to Grand Junction Regional Airport. There, they discover the local community practices cannibalism and flee, bombing the terminal. They return to Erie to find Bangley alive but injured after a major attack, and they eventually join a new settlement in a Mennonite community.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ridley Scott
- Writers
- Mark L. Smith · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jacob Elordi; Josh Brolin; Margaret Qualley; Guy Pearce
- Genres
- action; thriller; post-apocalyptic
- Themes
- survival; isolation
- Tone and mood
- mellow; low-energy
- Premise and plot tags
- post-apocalyptic; aviation
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2012 novel by Peter Heller
- Content notes
- cannibalism
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for March 27, 2026.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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