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With its postapocalyptic stakes and vast Colorado setting, Peter Heller’s bestselling 2012 novel The Dog Stars felt destined for the big screen. Nevertheless, it’s taken more than a decade for a film adaptation to reach theaters. To Heller, who lives in Denver, it was worth the wait.
The $110 million movie, which will be released on August 28, is helmed by legendary director Ridley Scott and features a constellation of talent, including Jacob Elordi as Hig (a superflu survivor who spends his days circling the state in his 1956 Cessna, his best friend/blue heeler Jasper riding shotgun), Margaret Qualley (a healer who introduces hope—and romance—to the storyline), and Josh Brolin (Hig’s cranky, gun-toting roommate). “You don’t find better artisans than these on Earth,” Heller says.
Here’s what he told us about how they brought his book to life.
Editor’s note: The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
5280: Did you envision The Dog Stars becoming a film when you wrote it?
Peter Heller: I don’t picture any of [my books] being a movie. I just try to stay focused on writing something true and something beautiful. And I’m not sure how it went, but I know somebody [maybe screenwriter Mark Smith or his son] read the book and got really excited and gave it to producer Cliff Roberts, who gave it to Ridley Scott.
Why do you think Scott was drawn to the book?
Whether in literature or cinema, [apocalyptic tales] highlight the struggles we all deal with every day. You know, Hig has to wake up every day and find a reason to get out of bed. Or out of his sleeping bag. He has to find some sort of connection. Either with nature, with his dog, or with the neighbors. And I think all of us have days like that.
What role did you play in the film adaptation?
Mark Smith was extremely deferential. He called a few times and said, “Do you mind if I do this and that for cinematic purposes?” I was like, “Man, go for it. I defer to you.”
I went into the whole movie process with my own mission statement: I am honored that other great artists are inspired by the book to create a new and discrete work of art. And then I don’t expect the book to be rendered onscreen. If an author expects that, they’re going to be crushed.
You visited the set in Italy. What was your experience like?
I walked up a little trail and noticed a pipe emitting mist. And the whole meadow, the woods, the valley, was full of this moodiness. It was so cool to walk into these woods and just all of a sudden, I was in a Ridley Scott world. He’s in his 80s, and he has more energy than anybody on the set. It’s sort of superhuman.
We were watching the first scene, and Jacob started talking, and I just started crying. I had tears coming down because I was so moved. Hig inhabited this kid. And he embodied Hig. It was remarkable, beautiful, and surprising. Especially given that Elordi is so much younger and probably so much better looking than Hig really is.
In the book, Jasper is a blue heeler, but he’s a German shepherd in the movie. Did that bother you?
Apparently, he’s a good dog. And all we really need is a good dog.
The Denver Book Society will host a screening and a Q&A with Heller at AMC 9+CO 10 in Denver on August 29.
