Ridley Scott Officially Responds To Paul Mescal Firing Report

Published Sep 2, 2026, 11:14 AM EDT

Scott and Mescal first worked together on Gladiator II (2024), the long-awaited sequel to Scott's 2000 classic starring Russell Crowe. Though Mescal was also attached to star in Scott's next movie, The Dog Stars, he was eventually replaced by Jacob Elordi, and a recent report stated that Scott blamed Mescal for Gladiator II's lackluster performance.

In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, a representative for Scott denies that Mescal was fired from The Dog Stars. The statement reiterates the original reason given for Mescal dropping out of the post-apocalyptic movie, which is that filming on the project clashed with another project. Check out the comment below:

Not true. Ridley loves Paul and was excited to work with him on Dog Stars after having [enjoyed] such a great collaboration on Gladiator II. 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.

At the time, reports stated Mescal's commitment to Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics prevented him from working with the filmmaker again after Gladiator II. Mescal is slated to play Paul McCartney in the ambitious four-film cinematic event, which is scheduled for release in April 2028.

This narrative was complicated earlier this week, however, when journalist Matthew Belloni wrote in his Puck newsletter that Scott fired Mescal "at the last minute." According to the report, Scott felt that Mescal wasn't "masculine" enough, and that it was the actor's fault Gladiator II underperformed at the box office. Mescal hasn't responded to the recent firing report or Scott's comment.

Whether there's any truth to Puck's original report or not, Mescal seemingly dodged a bullet with The Dog Stars, which is shaping up to be a major bomb. Starring Elordi as pilot Hig in a tale of survival after an apocalyptic flu event, the film opened to just $8 million domestically and is sitting at a worldwide total of $19 million. The movie carries an estimated budget of between $70-$110 million.

Also starring Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, and Guy Pearce, Scott's latest also hasn't been a critical win. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Dog Stars is sitting at a 40% critics score, a major step down from Gladiator II's 70% score.

ScreenRant's The Dog Stars review by Jordan Williams is lukewarm at a score of 6 out of 10. Though she praises some of the movie's quieter moments, the film's script and lack of character depth detract from the overall experience. Williams writes:

While Ridley Scott's masterful action sequences are kept constantly engaging through sharp editing and direction, their impact often falls flat without much of a narrative punch to back them up. These big set pieces come and go with little depth, turning threats to The Dog Stars’ heroes into more cartoonish caricatures than nuanced reflections of humanity in a survivalist world.

The Dog Stars follows several notable projects for Elordi, including Frankenstein (2025), Wuthering Heights (2026), and Euphoria season 3. Next up for Elordi is an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Outer Dark novel, which is set up at Netflix.

Scott, meanwhile, is gearing up to start production on his Treasure Island adaptation starring Hugh Jackman this fall. In addition to recently confirming development on another Alien prequel movie, Scott is also developing a Bee Gees biopic, meaning he could have a busy few years ahead of him.

Whether Elordi or Mescal had starred in it, The Dog Stars didn't seem to totally come together as a movie, and it's evidently not a title that captured movie-goers' attention. For now, Scott doesn't have any firm plans to work with either Mescal or Elordi in his upcoming projects.

Release Date August 28, 2026

Runtime 119 minutes

Writers Mark L. Smith

Producers Mark L. Smith, Michael A. Pruss, Ridley Scott, Cliff Roberts