Ridley Scott's New Sci-Fi Adaptation The Dog Stars Gets Official Verdict From Original Author

Published Sep 8, 2026, 1:07 PM EDT

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars now has a review from author Peter Heller.

Adapting Heller's book of the same name, Scott's post-apocalyptic thriller follows Jacob Elordi's Hig, a pilot, as he traverses a dangerous dystopian America and joins forces with other survivors following a deadly flu. Despite a cast that also includes Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce, the response to The Dog Stars has not been glowing, and the film has underperformed at the box office.

In a recent interview on FOX31 Denver, Heller shares his honest thoughts on Scott's version of The Dog Stars, standing behind the director and his adaptation. The author explains that he wasn't present for most of the Italy-set production and that he was only there for "a few days," but that he got the impression that "Ridley Scott and company had extreme faith that they would do the book justice.” According to Heller, Scott succeeded.

"They really honored it," Heller says. "And I feel like the movie captured the heart and spirit of the book, which is ‘how do we keep our hearts open and take the risks we need to take to love other people, even in the bleakest circumstances?’ That’s what it’s about.” He adds: “I’m completely over the moon about the way they handled the movie and the response and everything."

Though Heller, who serves as an executive producer on the movie, may be pleased with Scott's handling of The Dog Stars, the film has been far from a hit. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has only a 40% score from critics, with criticism aimed at the poor pacing and the movie's overly familiar take on post-apocalyptic America.

Jordan Williams' The Dog Stars review for ScreenRant is more positive at six out of 10. Though Williams takes issue with the worldbuilding and how the action sequences are integrated into the story, she does praise the movie's handling of its themes, writing:

The notion that other humans become the biggest threat at the end of the world is a familiar formula. [...] But, with zombies and extraterrestrial creatures absent, Ridley Scott’s film drives home these themes on humanity with a heavier hand. Moreover, The Dog Stars ultimately stands apart due to its persistent optimism in the face of loss, desperation, violence, and depravity in a world of constant survival.

Commercially, too, The Dog Stars really fell flat. Made on an estimated budget of between $70-$110 million, the Scott movie has been a box office bomb, grossing just $7.7 million domestically in its opening weekend. Now just under two weeks out from its release, the movie is standing at a gross of about $33 million worldwide.

Even after lukewarm responses to Gladiator II (2024) and Napoleon (2023), Scott isn't slowing down. He's next set to tackle an adaptation of Treasure Island starring Hugh Jackman, which could finally be the film that gives him his first major hit since The Martian in 2015.

Some of Scott's films get culturally reappraised in the years following their release, and it's possible something similar will happen with The Dog Stars. In any case, though, it's clear that Heller is pleased with Scott's handling of his novel.