Jacob Elordi in Talks For ‘The Dog Stars’

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Jacob Elordi stars in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’

Preview:

Jacob Elordi’s in talks for ‘The Dog Stars’
If he signs on, he’d replace Paul Mescal in the lead.
Ridley Scott is on board to direct.

What Ridley Scott utters, so it shall come to pass. Okay, so the last time he was asked about the subject, the venerable director didn’t exactly confirm that Paul Mescal, the star of his most recent film, ‘Gladiator II’ might be about to drop out of one of his next planned projects, but he didn’t not confirm it either.

Still, that has apparently come to pass as Variety brings word that Jacob Elordi, the Australian rising star who appeared in ‘Saltburn,’ is now in talks to lead Scott’s potential next movie, ‘The Dog Stars.’

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The issue here appears to be Mescal’s schedule. While he’s previously said he’d happily reunite with Ridley for any movie, it would seem that the Irish actor has instead signed on for Sam Mendes’ ambitious plan to make a biopic of the Beatles.

More specifically, four biopics, one for each band member, and crossing the stories between the films. Though no official casting information has emerged, Mescal is hotly tipped to be playing Paul McCartney.

Here’s what Scott said about Mescal acting in his next project when asked by Christopher Nolan in a conversational Q&A held before the holidays at the Director’s Guild of America:

“Yes. Maybe. Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next. So I may have to let him go.”

Looks like he’s letting him go and moving on to another young actor whose career is skyrocketing. Mescal need not worry too much, though –– Denzel Washington worked with Scott in 2007’s ‘American Gangster’ and it only took 16 years for them to reunite on ‘Gladiator II…’

What’s the story of The Dog Stars’?

(L to R) Director Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal on the set of ‘Gladiator II’ from Paramount Pictures.

Based on a 2012 novel by Peter Heller, the ‘Dog Stars’ screenplay comes from ‘The Revenant’s Mark L. Smith and ‘Ali’s Christopher Wilkinson.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a virus has wiped out most of humanity, the protagonist is Hig (Elordi, assuming his deal closes), a pilot who survived the flu that killed everyone he knew, his wife included.

He lives in the hangar of a small, abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting ex-Marine. Hig sometimes heads off in his 1956 Cessna, where he can fish, and pretend things are how they used to be.

When a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life might exist if he flies a bit further. He risks it all to chase a possible haven in Grand Junction.

Where else have I seen Jacob Elordi?

Jacob Elordi as Felix Catton in ‘Saltburn.’ Photo: Amazon MGM Studios. Amazon MGM Studios.

Elordi got his big break in Netflix rom-com ‘The Kissing Booth,’ and went on to appear in three films in the franchise.

On the big screen, he’s been seen in the likes of ‘2 Hearts,’ ‘Deep Water,’ ‘The Sweet East’ and ‘Priscilla,’ in which he played Elvis Presley. And in ‘Saltburn,’ he was the privileged scion of a wealthy British family whose decision to bring home a less fortunate student from his university proved to be a very bad idea.

Elordi also scored attention playing Nate Jacobs in TV sensation ‘Euphoria,’ though his packed film schedule likely means he may not return for Season 3 (though he could well find time, given how delayed the shooting schedule for the third season of the show has been).

Next up for the actor most likely is a reunion with ‘Saltburn’ director Emerald Fennell, who has been busy working on an adaptation of Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights.’ Elordi would play Heathcliff alongside Margot Robbie as doomed love Catherine Earnshaw.

Then there’s another sci-fi project, ‘Parallel,’ which posits a world where parallel dimensions are accessible, but only known to a select group of people –– and travelling between worlds is highly illegal.

What else is Ridley Scott working on?

(L to R) Pedro Pascal, Director Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal on the set of ‘Gladiator II’ from Paramount Pictures.

With Elordi in the midst of a deal, that points to ‘The Dog Stars’ ramping up as the next movie that Scott will shoot (and it’s also listed as in pre-production on the IMDb.).

Yet Variety’s story also mentions the director’s plan to make a Bee Gees biopic, something he has had sitting on his To Do list for a while now. And there’s every chance the biopic could leapfrog ‘The Dog Stars.’

The Bee Gees film would re-team Scott with one of his collaborators on the original ‘Gladiator,’ writer John Logan.

And it’s far from the only movie the busy director has on his potential projects list –– there is a wealth of others, before we even mention the long batch of TV series on which he’s listed as producer. It’s a wonder the man ever sleeps.

When will ‘The Dog Stars’ land in theaters?

That’s a big question at this point. Since Scott has yet to fully start on either ‘The Dog Stars’ or his Bee Gees project, there is no telling when either might be released.

Still, given the prolific nature of the (checks notes) 87-year-old director, we wouldn’t be too shocked if at least one was ready for some point in 2026. Let’s not forget: this is the same filmmaker who has brought us three movies across the last four years.