Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal re-team on “The Dog Stars”.

Ridley Scott has decided to delay his “Bee-Gees” biopic and will instead be shooting the mystery sci-fi film he was hinting at in a recent interview. That would be “The Dog Stars”, based on the post-apocalyptic novel by Peter Heller. Paul Mescal (Gladiator II) is in advanced negotiations to star in the film. Scott will be directing from a screenplay adapted by Mark L. Smith (“Twisters”, “Revenant”).

The pair are already on an international promotional tour for “The Gladiator II”. Scott has set his next project at 20th Century and will produce with his Scott Free Production banner.

Scott has been weighing a handful of films (at least 7) for his next project including Paramount’s “Bee-Gees” biopic. Deadline’s sources say that they found a sweet spot for the busy Mescal to re-team with Scott, and that is why they’ve set this as their next collaboration, with the aim to shoot next spring after Mescal stars on Broadway in “A Streetcar Named Desire”. The Bee-Gees film will likely follow for Scott in the fall of 2025, as the 87-year old director continues his ever-prolific pace.

The Dog Stars is set in a near future where an unnamed pandemic has decimated American society. A civilian pilot lives a lonely life on an abandoned Colorado airbase with his dog and a tough ex-marine. The two men couldn’t be more mismatched but depend on each other to fend of roaming invaders. When a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites hope deep inside the pilot that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows it’s static-broken trail.

Meanwhile, alongside “Bee-Gees”, Scott has at least seven projects percolating in development, including “Gladiator III”, “Freewalkers”, “Bomb” and “The Battle of Britain”.