The Gladiator II reunion is off, with the news that Euphoria star Jacob Elordi is set to replace Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott’s adaptation of The Dog Stars.
The reason cited by Variety is the same one that has seen another Gladiator alum Joseph Quinn drop out of Bret Easton Ellis’ directorial debut Relapse, and that’s scheduling conflicts with Sam Mendes’ multiple Beatles biopics.
Elordi, who has just finished bringing Frankenstein’s monster to life for Guillermo del Toro’s Netflix adaptation, will inherit the role of Hig, a lonely pilot in post-apocalyptic America, who travels a scorched landscape with his pet dog, Jasper, in search of meaning and companionship.
Adapted from Peter Heller’s 2012 novel by Christopher Wilkinson (Ali) and Mark L. Smith (Twisters), the plan is for the workaholic director to shoot The Dog Stars sometime in 2025, after he has completed his own musical biopic focusing on the legendary music group the Bee Gees.
Let us know whether you’ve read The Dog Stars and if you think Elordi is a good fit for Hig by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
