Jacob Elordi is in early talks to lead The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller for 20th Century Studios, based on the 2012 novel by Peter Heller, Deadline can confirm.

Elordi looks to step in for Scott’s Gladiator II star, Paul Mescal, who was forced to depart due to scheduling conflicts after being tapped to star in Sam Mendes’ Beatles anthology, where he’s rumored to be playing Paul McCartney. Scott first hinted at the possibility of Mescal’s exit in a December conversation with filmmaker Christopher Nolan on Gladiator II.

Set in a near future where an unnamed pandemic has decimated American society, The Dog Stars will have Elordi playing Hig, a civilian pilot living a lonely life on an abandoned Colorado airbase with his dog and a tough ex-marine. The two men couldn’t be more mismatched but depend on each other to fend off roaming invaders.