Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars arrived in cinemas on Friday, 28 August, starring Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley. However, the film was originally expected to feature Paul Mescal in the lead role.
Mescal’s departure has now been linked to claims that Scott blamed the Irish actor for the alleged underperformance of Gladiator II. Mescal’s representatives deny the reports, while Scott’s team has said they are ‘not true’.
According to Puck’s Matt Belloni, Scott was unhappy with Mescal’s performance in the much-anticipated 2024 sequel. The director’s representatives have rejected that account.
Gladiator II, the follow-up to Scott’s acclaimed 2000 epic, was viewed by some as a disappointment compared with the original. The film nevertheless earned $462 million worldwide, despite reports that its budget may have reached between $250 million and more than $300 million. Some critics also praised Mescal’s performance as Lucius.
Why Paul Mescal reportedly left The Dog Stars
Belloni, via World of Reel, reported that Scott believed Mescal wasn’t ‘masculine enough’ for the lead role in Gladiator II. Mescal then reportedly ‘dropped’ out of The Dog Stars, with Elordi taking over the part.
At the time, Mescal’s exit from the project was attributed to ‘scheduling conflicts’ with Sam Mendes’ four-part Beatles film, in which the actor is playing Paul McCartney.
Responding to the claims, Scott’s representatives told LADbible they were ‘not true’.
“Ridley loves Paul and was excited to work with him on Dog Stars after having enjoying such a great collaboration on Gladiator 2.”
Sadly, Paul’s rehearsal schedule for another film prevented him from ultimately doing Ridley’s film. While he was disappointed to lose Paul, he was thrilled to get the chance to work with Jacob, who was excellent in the role.”
Belloni reported that The Dog Stars had an $89 million budget but opened to just $7.7 million during its first weekend. The LADbible Group has contacted Mescal’s representatives for comment.
The Dog Stars receives mixed reviews
The film has reportedly become one of Scott’s biggest box-office disappointments, performing poorly with both critics and audiences.
On Rotten Tomatoes, The Dog Stars currently has a 39 percent Tomatometer score and a 71 percent Popcornmeter audience rating.
One viewer described the film as ‘mediocre’, while another said they wanted to save others ‘from wasting two hours of their God given time on this film’.
“Took a great book and made it a pretty stupid zombie apocalypse shoot ‘em up. Really disappointed,”
A fourth viewer wrote:
“Slow, not much of a plot. Simple ending. Kept waiting for the movie to take off never really did.”
Other viewers said they were ‘blown away’ and ‘love everything about it’.
“I don’t understand the story but I still enjoyed the ride.
