Ridley Scott wants to break his 49-year-old directing streak after The Dog Stars

Ridley Scott has always been the sort to keep busy—frankly, the man never seems to stop. But here’s something that might surprise you: he has never directed a proper Western since his feature debut nearly fifty years ago. Now, as he does the rounds to promote his latest sci-fi project, he’s getting a bit vocal about wanting to change that.

The last time Ridley Scott directed a Western was back in 1977—nearly half a century ago.

Scott’s Western itch

While out plugging The Dog Stars, Scott sat down with ScreenRant and chatted about his unrealised ambitions. Turns out, high up his to-do list is a proper Western. Apparently, he’s even got a screenplay sorted and ready to shoot, but every time he’s tried to set it up, the studios have kicked up a fuss about it being too much of a challenge. You’d think, after Gladiator and Blade Runner, the man would get the benefit of the doubt, but apparently not.

Here’s how Scott described the project: the story is set on the Great Plains, right at the dawn of the repeating rifle in 1829. In his words, “It’s just at the beginning of the repeating rifle and the end of the single shot. When you have a single shot, it takes a minute to reload. Already, you’re getting scouts. So, you have to use it as a club. You’re going to die, anyway. It’s minus 20 degrees.” Two blokes get themselves in trouble with the local tribe after some misstep, and honestly, it sounds much rougher than what most modern Westerns go for.

Scott also mentioned that he’s just handed the script off to someone else with the hope they’ll say yes and help get it moving. He even said, “I’m trying to start to knock the wall down.” So clearly, he’s not giving up the ghost just yet.

Not his first rodeo (or almost rodeo)

This isn’t some new itch for Scott. He’s tried to get a Western made before—something called Freewalkers had a go-ahead at one point, scheduled to get filming in 2024. But that too ran into the same old walls: studio nerves and whatever else goes on in the higher reaches of Hollywood prevented it from getting any further. As is often the way, nothing materialised, and the idea got parked.

The Dog Stars: his latest detour

Meanwhile, Scott is keeping himself busy with The Dog Stars, his upcoming post-apocalyptic sci-fi effort about life after a massive pandemic wipes out most of civilisation. This one’s about a former pilot named Hig, played by Jacob Elordi, and an ex-Marine, Bangley, played by Josh Brolin, as they try to survive and maybe build a better life. That's the sort of optimistic touch you only get in pandemic apocalypse films. The supporting cast is full of heavy hitters too: Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong are along for the ride.

The Dog Stars is set for release on 28 August 2026. No word yet on whether Scott’s Western will make it out of the gate by then (or at all), but he doesn’t look like he’s finished pushing for it.