Ridley Scott’s long-anticipated post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars arrives in theaters on August 28, 2026, distributed by 20th Century Studios. Starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong, the film is adapted from Peter Heller’s acclaimed novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Twisters). The story follows a widowed civilian pilot named Hig — one of the few survivors of a global pandemic — who intercepts a mysterious radio transmission from his Cessna and sets off on a dangerous journey to trace its source.
For the music, Scott has turned once again to his most trusted collaborator: British composer Harry Gregson-Williams. The Dog Stars marks their eighth confirmed collaboration, and Gregson-Williams’ assignment was first reported by Film Music Reporter on April 16, 2026. As of this writing, no official score album details have been announced, but a formal release is expected to follow the film’s theatrical debut.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Film Title | The Dog Stars |
| Director | Ridley Scott |
| Production Companies | Scott Free Productions / 20th Century Studios |
| Distributed By | 20th Century Studios |
| Theatrical Release Date | August 28, 2026 |
| Composer | Harry Gregson-Williams |
| Screenplay | Mark L. Smith (based on the novel by Peter Heller) |
Editorial Note: The Dog Stars is scheduled for theatrical release on August 28, 2026. As of June 10, 2026, no score album label, official tracklist, or streaming release details have been announced. This article will be updated as confirmed information becomes available.
The Dog Stars Soundtrack Overview
The musical component of The Dog Stars is an original orchestral score composed entirely by Harry Gregson-Williams. The assignment was confirmed by Film Music Reporter — the primary trade source for film scoring news — on April 16, 2026, making it one of the most anticipated scores of the 2026 summer slate.
Given the film’s tone — a desolate, pandemic-ravaged Colorado landscape, a grieving survivor searching for signs of human life — Gregson-Williams is expected to craft a score that leans on the same atmospheric, emotionally grounded orchestral approach that defined his work on prior Ridley Scott collaborations like The Martian and The Last Duel. No score album label has been formally attached as of this writing, though Decca Records released Gregson-Williams’ Gladiator II score in 2024, making them a plausible candidate to release The Dog Stars album as well. This is unconfirmed speculation, however, and JSAN Media will update this section when official label information is announced.
Who Composed The Dog Stars Soundtrack?
Harry Gregson-Williams is the composer of The Dog Stars (2026), as confirmed by Film Music Reporter on April 16, 2026.
Born on December 13, 1961, in Sussex, England, Gregson-Williams is one of the most prolific and decorated film composers working in Hollywood today. He earned a choral scholarship to St. John’s College, Cambridge, at the age of seven, and later trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London — an institution that subsequently awarded him an Honorary Fellowship. He has received the BMI Icon Award for his influence on generations of composers, and the Ambassador Award from the Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL).
His film career began as an assistant to composer Richard Harvey, and he later worked as an orchestrator for Stanley Myers before receiving his first scoring credits under director Nicolas Roeg. His trajectory changed significantly in the mid-1990s when he relocated to Los Angeles and began working as a protégé of Hans Zimmer at Remote Control Productions, contributing to soundtracks including The Rock, Armageddon, and The Prince of Egypt. Zimmer’s mentorship launched Gregson-Williams into the front rank of Hollywood film composers.
Gregson-Williams is known for seamlessly blending electronic and orchestral elements — a hybrid approach that made him a creative pioneer in modern film scoring. He earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Film Music for Shrek (2001), and received Golden Globe and Grammy Award nominations for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). He also received a World Soundtrack Award for Film Composer of the Year in 2007, and an Emmy nomination in 2018 for his work on Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams.
His relationship with Ridley Scott is one of the defining creative partnerships of his career. The Dog Stars marks their eighth collaboration together, following Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Prometheus (2012, themes only), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014, themes only), The Martian (2015), The Last Duel (2021), House of Gucci (2021), and Gladiator II (2024). For Gladiator II, Gregson-Williams composed over 100 minutes of original score — recorded at Abbey Road Studios with more than 100 musicians and singers from across the globe — and the album was released by Decca Records on November 15, 2024.
Harry Gregson-Williams — Selected Filmography
| Year | Film / Series | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Shrek | Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson | BAFTA nomination |
| 2005 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Andrew Adamson | Golden Globe & Grammy nominations |
| 2005 | Kingdom of Heaven | Ridley Scott | Scott collaboration #1 |
| 2012 | Prometheus | Ridley Scott | Themes only |
| 2014 | Exodus: Gods and Kings | Ridley Scott | Themes only |
| 2015 | The Martian | Ridley Scott | Scott collaboration #2 (full score) |
| 2018 | The Equalizer 2 | Antoine Fuqua | — |
| 2020 | Mulan | Niki Caro | Disney live-action |
| 2021 | The Last Duel | Ridley Scott | Scott collaboration #3 |
| 2021 | House of Gucci | Ridley Scott | Scott collaboration #4 |
| 2022– | The Gilded Age (Seasons 1–4) | Various | HBO; co-scored with brother Rupert Gregson-Williams |
| 2024 | Gladiator II | Ridley Scott | Scott collaboration #5; released on Decca Records |
| 2026 | Normal | Ben Wheatley | Co-scored with Ryder McNair |
| 2026 | The Dog Stars | Ridley Scott | Scott collaboration #8 (counting theme credits) |
The Dog Stars Official Score Tracklist
As of June 10, 2026, no official tracklist for the The Dog Stars score has been released or announced. The film opens in theaters on August 28, 2026, and a score album release — typically coinciding with or following a film’s theatrical debut — has not yet been confirmed. JSAN Media will update this section with the full, verified tracklist once official information is made available.
Score Highlights
With the film still weeks away from release, no individual cues or score samples from The Dog Stars have been made publicly available. Based on confirmed production details and Gregson-Williams’ established working method with Ridley Scott, the following context is relevant:
Post-Apocalyptic Desolation and Human Longing. The story centers on Hig’s isolation in an abandoned Colorado airplane hangar — with only his dog, a hostile gunman, and an aging Cessna for company. This emotional landscape maps closely to the atmospheric, sparsely textured orchestral writing that defined Gregson-Williams’ approach on The Martian: sweeping yet intimate, underscoring human fragility against an indifferent world.
The Ridley Scott Sound Palette. Scott is known for working closely with his composers during the editing process. As Gregson-Williams has described, the director communicates through visual metaphor — discussing music in terms of tone, color, and texture. This creative dynamic has consistently produced scores that feel architecturally inseparable from the images, rather than simply underscoring them.
An Orchestral Core with Possible Atmospheric Textures. Given the film’s post-pandemic setting and Gregson-Williams’ background blending electronics with orchestral writing, the score is likely to combine conventional strings and brass with more ambient, textural elements — similar to the emotional tension he layered into The Last Duel.
This section will be fully updated with confirmed score highlights and cue descriptions following the film’s release.
The Dog Stars Licensed Songs & Needle Drops
Trailer vs. Film Distinction — Important Editorial Note: The following songs have been confirmed in the official marketing trailers for The Dog Stars by SeekerTune. Trailer music is not equivalent to confirmed in-film use. Neither of these tracks has been verified as a licensed needle drop within the film itself. JSAN Media will update this section with confirmed in-film songs following the film’s theatrical release on August 28, 2026.
Songs Confirmed in Trailers (Not Confirmed In-Film)
| Song Title | Artist | Context |
|---|---|---|
| “Into the Mystic” | Van Morrison | The Dog Stars official movie trailer |
| “The Day the World Went Away” | Nine Inch Nails | The Dog Stars official movie trailer |
Source: SeekerTune (trailer music documentation, accessed June 2026).
Where to Listen to The Dog Stars Soundtrack?
The Dog Stars opens in theaters August 28, 2026, distributed by 20th Century Studios. As of this writing, no score album has been announced and no soundtrack streaming links are available. Once a label releases the official score album, it is expected to appear on major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music. Harry Gregson-Williams’ existing film scores — including Gladiator II, The Martian, and The Chronicles of Narnia — are currently available across all major streaming platforms. JSAN Media will update this section with direct streaming links once the The Dog Stars soundtrack is officially released.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who composed the score for The Dog Stars (2026)?
British composer Harry Gregson-Williams is scoring The Dog Stars, as confirmed by Film Music Reporter on April 16, 2026. He has an extensive collaborative history with director Ridley Scott, with The Dog Stars marking their eighth working relationship.
2. Is this Harry Gregson-Williams’ first time working with Ridley Scott?
No. The Dog Stars is their eighth collaboration. Prior Gregson-Williams/Scott projects include Kingdom of Heaven (2005), themes for Prometheus (2012) and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), The Martian (2015), The Last Duel (2021), House of Gucci (2021), and Gladiator II (2024).
3. Has the The Dog Stars score album been released?
Not yet. As of June 10, 2026, no label, release date, or tracklist for the score album has been officially announced. The film releases in theaters on August 28, 2026, and a soundtrack album announcement is expected closer to or following that date.
4. What songs appear in The Dog Stars?
Two songs — “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison and “The Day the World Went Away” by Nine Inch Nails — have been documented in the official movie trailers by SeekerTune. However, trailer music does not automatically confirm in-film use, and no licensed needle drops within the film have been verified as of this writing.
5. When does The Dog Stars release in theaters?
The Dog Stars opens nationwide on Friday, August 28, 2026, distributed by 20th Century Studios.
6. What is The Dog Stars about?
Adapted from Peter Heller’s novel, the film follows Hig (Jacob Elordi), a widowed civilian pilot surviving in a Colorado airplane hangar after a pandemic wipes out nearly the entire world’s population. When he intercepts a mysterious radio transmission during a flight in his Cessna, he embarks on a journey to find its source. Josh Brolin co-stars as Bangley, a taciturn, weapons-savvy gunman, and Margaret Qualley plays Cima.
7. Where can I stream The Dog Stars soundtrack?
No streaming links are available yet. Once the official score album is released — expected around the time of the August 28, 2026, theatrical opening — it will be available on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. JSAN Media will update this article with direct links upon release.