Ridley Scott says The Dog Stars may be his best movie, and why he probably won’t work with Gladiator II cinematographer again
Cinematographer John Mathieson has worked with Ridley Scott for two decades, beginning with the first Gladiator movie, but thanks to comments he made before the release of Gladiator II, it doesn’t sound like that relationship will continue. Mathieson had said that the use of multiple cameras on set, which Scott loves to do, is “really lazy” and “not very good for cinematography.” The DP later said the comments were taken out of context and heavily edited from a much larger interview, but the damage may be done.
During an interview with Dazed, Scott was asked if he would work with Mathieson again. “He said something really extraordinary on a podcast. I thought, ‘What?! WHAT!!! And that was it. Sorry, dude. That’s it.” Scott said. “Maybe he’d had a few pints.“
Scott went with cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt (Mindhunter) for his new film, The Dog Stars, and it sounds like that went much better. “Yeah. We did eight cameras,” Scott said. “I think he quite liked it.” Speaking of The Dog Stars, Scott added that the upcoming film might be his best movie. If you recall, Scott made a similar claim about Gladiator II, calling it “one of the best things I’ve ever made.“
“The one I just finished, The Dog Stars, [shot for just 34 days],” he said. “It’s the speed of a TV show, but maybe my best movie. Every movie is a discovery of who you are, and making choices about actors. Before I speak to anybody, I look at everything they’ve done. I cast Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Josh Brolin. Frequently, the biggest thing I’m good at is casting. If they’re available, normally I get them.“
Based on the novel by Peter Heller, The Dog Stars is set nine years after a flu pandemic wipes out most of humanity, watching as a grieving pilot and his loyal dog cling to survival in a remote Colorado airfield. Haunted by loss and driven by a mysterious radio transmission, he sets out on a dangerous journey through a ravaged landscape in search of hope, connection, and a reason to keep living. The Dog Stars is set to be released on March 27, 2026.
Scott had plenty of projects coming up, including a biopic about the Bee Gees, a western titled Freewalkers, a World War I movie based on John Harris’s Covenant with Death, and yes, a third Gladiator movie.
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