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Ridley Scott’s Most Anticipated Sci-Fi Thriller in Years Officially Lands This Summer

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2026 has been a great year for sci-fi movies, with releases like Mercy, Project Hail Mary, and War Machine. These films have seen varying degrees of success, with Mercy underperforming at the box office but excelling on streaming. Meanwhile, Project Hail Mary has been a critical and box office hit and is expected to replicate this success when it eventually arrives on streaming. War Machine never had a theatrical release, but it has become Netflix’s top movie of 2026. But looking ahead at the rest of the year, there are still some strong contenders that have yet to have their moment. Among them is a thriller that promises an emotional but action-packed tale.

This dystopian sci-fi drama has assembled a powerful cast, and the story gives them a lot to work with. The film has been set for an August 28 release by 20th Century Pictures. It follows the main character, Hig, a young pilot who, together with a military survivor, Bangley, has carved out their own space in a violent world where humanity has ceased to be the bare minimum. However, when Hig intercepts a radio transmission, he leaves their secluded compound because, despite what this brutal world has shown him, he believes that out there somewhere, humanity still exists.

The film in question is The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott (The Martian). Mark L. Smith adapted it from Peter Heller‘s book of the same name. The main cast includes recognized actors like Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Guy Pearce (Memento), Benedict Wong (Avengers: Endgame), and Allison Janney (I, Tonya). 20th Century has already released a trailer that sets the stage.

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Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz
Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive?
The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars

Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.

💊The Matrix

🔥Mad Max

🌧️Blade Runner

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🏜️Dune

🚀Star Wars

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01

You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do?
The first instinct is often the truest one.





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02

In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely?
What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.





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03

What kind of threat keeps you up at night?
Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.





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04

How do you deal with authority you don’t trust?
Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.





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05

Which environment could you actually endure long-term?
Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.





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06

Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart?
The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.





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Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all?
Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.





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08

What would actually make survival worth it?
Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.





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Your Fate Has Been Calculated
You’d Survive In…

Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.

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The Resistance, Zion

The Matrix

You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.

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  • You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
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The Wasteland

Mad Max

The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.

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  • You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
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  • You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
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Los Angeles, 2049

Blade Runner

You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.

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  • You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
  • In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
  • You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
  • In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.


Arrakis

Dune

Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.

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  • Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
  • You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
  • Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
  • In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.


A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars

The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

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  • You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
  • You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
  • You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
  • In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.

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‘The Dog Stars’ Indicts Humanity Once Again in Emotionally Charged Trailer

The video above introduces Hig (Elordi), who has survived a world-ending event. So he knows the before and the after. He knows the joy of love and family, and the pain of losing it. Hig is forever optimistic, even when the world gives him no reason to be. Bangley (Brolin), on the other hand, doesn’t share the same optimism. He knows what humans are capable of, especially when pushed to their limits. Nothing pushes people more than the realization that the rules no longer exist and society has collapsed. But the world of “wake up, survive, rinse and repeat” doesn’t appeal to Hig. He knows there must be something more out there, and he’s willing to take a risk. So he puts his pilot skills to use and ventures out on a dangerous but potentially rewarding mission. And who knows, he might find love again.

The Dog Stars is in theaters on August 28. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.


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Release Date

August 28, 2026

Writers

Mark L. Smith, Peter Heller, Christopher Wilkinson

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