Ridley Scott Reveals His Upcoming Film Slate After ‘The Dog Stars’ Release

At 88 years old, Ridley Scott shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to produce ambitious projects at a pace that would exhaust directors half his age. With ‘The Dog Stars’ recently hitting theaters, the veteran filmmaker has been busy detailing what comes next, and the scope of his upcoming slate is genuinely staggering.

Scott’s latest release, ‘The Dog Stars,’ features Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley in a post-apocalyptic drama that premiered in cinemas on August 28. Instead of taking a break after completing one of his more introspective recent efforts, the director has confirmed a series of major projects lined up across various genres, including adventure epics, sci-fi sequels, and even a music biopic.

At the top of that list is a reboot of ‘Treasure Island,’ with Hugh Jackman set to star as the iconic pirate Long John Silver. Scott’s interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel marks his return to large-scale, swashbuckling storytelling, an area he has repeatedly excelled in throughout his career with historical epics built around massive scope and spectacle.

Equally significant is Scott’s confirmation that he’s developing a follow-up to ‘Alien: Covenant,’ continuing the story of Michael Fassbender’s David, the malfunctioning android whose actions set the entire Xenomorph mythology in motion.

Speaking with the L.A. Times, Scott described the character as a “ticking time bomb,” explaining, “AIs can go off, and if they do, it’s like a bomb.” The sequel will reportedly follow David as he builds what Scott referred to as a “brave new world for himself,” picking up directly from Covenant’s unsettling final moments.

This project marks Scott’s re-engagement with a franchise he had previously stepped back from, having also candidly noted that he felt 2024’s ‘Alien: Romulus’ “needs some help,” according to French outlet AlloCiné, and that he’s since “gone back in” to help shape the saga’s future.

Also on the horizon is ‘Gladiator III,’ with Paul Mescal returning as Lucius following his star-making turn in 2024’s ‘Gladiator II.’ Scott confirmed plans for a third installment almost immediately after the second film’s release, citing its strong global box office performance as reason enough to continue the saga.

Rounding out the director’s busy pipeline is ‘You Should Be Dancing,’ a long-gestating Bee Gees biopic that has faced repeated delays since first entering development. The project, with surviving Gibb brother Barry Gibb serving as executive producer, has yet to finalize a production timeline but remains part of Scott’s stated plans.

Taken together, the sheer breadth of Scott’s upcoming work, spanning swashbuckling adventure, sci-fi horror, Roman epic, and music biopic, underscores just how tirelessly the director continues to work well into his ninth decade. Few filmmakers at any age juggle projects of this scale simultaneously, let alone one approaching 90.

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