Brolin Nearly Quit Scott's 'The Dog Stars' After Day One
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- Josh Brolin told Empire he called his agent after Day 1 of Ridley Scott's 'The Dog Stars' demanding to leave, saying Scott's storytelling-heavy, rehearsal-light approach 'bugged me out' and felt deeply wrong.
- Brolin overruled his agent's advice to 'rest for a day,' insisting he knew the problem wasn't temporary — only seeing the dailies in Scott's trailer and watching the 'really good, very dynamic scene' with Jacob Elordi convinced him to stay.
- The Dog Stars marks a stylistic shift for Scott from their earlier collaboration on 'American Gangster' (2007), deploying a new high-energy, multi-camera setup Brolin wasn't accustomed to.
- The film, adapted from Peter Heller's novel and scripted by Mark L. Smith ('The Revenant'), premieres Aug. 28 and stars Jacob Elordi as a grief-stricken pilot navigating a post-pandemic American wilderness with his dog.
- The cast also includes Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong, with Scott producing alongside Scott Free president Michael Pruss, Smith, and Cliff Roberts.
Why it matters: Brolin's near-exit is a rare on-the-record peek into Scott's directing method on a high-profile production, and his eventual buy-in after seeing the dailies signals confidence in the multi-camera approach for a prestige genre film premiering Aug. 28.
