Ridley Scott Wants to Make a Western, but “Studios Are Afraid of the Script”

Ridley Scott wants to direct a western – but the powers that be in Hollywood don’t want to fund it. In an interview with Omelete about his new feature, The Dog Stars, the director ended up commenting that one of the projects in his drawer is a western, lamenting that he has never made one before, and revealing that studios are reluctant to finance a completed script that would take him into the genre.

Check out the interview excerpt, in which Scott also reflects on how he chooses his projects today, after nearly 50 years of career, and says that The Dog Stars became his top priority as soon as he read the script by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), based on the book by Peter Heller.

OMELETE: You’ve been making movies for almost 50 years, so what is it about a story that still excites you enough to take it on, and what elements of that did you find in The Dog Stars?

SCOTT: Well, I’m always waiting to see what comes through the door next, I’m always looking for the next thing. I usually work ahead on what I want to do, but not too many projects at once, maybe two or three. And occasionally, a script comes along that I’m asked to read, which was the case with The Dog Stars. For me, the foundation has to be in the text: if you have something good on the page, it’s time to seriously consider making the movie. And this is such a good adaptation of the book... I was planning something else before I read it, but then I thought, “That can wait, because The Dog Stars needs to happen.” I called the studio and said I wanted to make the movie, which got them excited, but it all comes down to the writing. The writing is the foundation.

OMELETE: Even though it’s post-apocalyptic science fiction, The Dog Stars has a style that strongly echoes the western. Why did you choose that tone, and what is your relationship with the genre?

SCOTT: To me, almost everything is a western. My very first film, The Duellists, was a western, just with sabers. And I still haven’t made a true western, and I’m dying to make one. I have a script that is very, very special. It’s so outrageous, because everyone is afraid of it, every studio turns it down.

Everything you need to know about The Dog Stars

The Dog Stars follows Hig (Jacob Elordi, from Euphoria), a young pilot surviving in a post-apocalyptic world alongside military specialist Bangley (Josh Brolin, from Sicario). Their routine changes when he intercepts a mysterious radio transmission and sets out in search of signs of hope and other survivors.

The film’s cast also includes Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange) and Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3). It is set to premiere in theaters on August 28.