Colorado author’s book adapted into film directed by Ridley Scott
Sep 1, 2026, 4:28 PM | Updated: Sep 2, 2026, 2:29 pm
A Colorado Guy, his dog and a Ridley Scott movie. Only in Hollywood.
Denver author Peter Heller just had the biggest moment of his writing life — and Colorado is cheering. Congratulations Peter.
Heller wrote “The Dog Stars” back in 2012. It’s the story of a guy named Hig and his dog Jasper surviving a pandemic in Colorado.
The whole book is set right here — places we know, skies we’ve looked up at, mountains we’ve driven past a thousand times.
Heller has said Hig is a lot like him, and Jasper reminds him of every dog he’s ever loved.
Fast forward to a phone call that changed everything. Mark L. Smith — the screenwriter behind, “The Revenant” — called Heller and said he wanted to adapt the book. Then Ridley Scott signed on to direct. The film stars Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce, and it hit theaters August 28.
Heller is a fisherman, a kayaker, and a guy whose Wikipedia page literally describes him as “an American author and kayaker.”
He gave his 9NEWS interview on the steps of Denver’s REI because a studio just wasn’t his style. That’s so Colorado.
Watch the 9NEWS interview here.
