Ridley Scott Lines Up Western ‘Freewalkers’ & Adaptation Of WWI Novel ‘Covenant With Death’ Alongside Bee Gees Biopic

At 87 years young, British director Ridley Scott is still chugging along with big feature films as he shares plans for what comes next after his sci-fi pic “Dog Stars,” three more movies that he has scripts for.

Speaking with Dazed, the filmmaker promoting an upcoming BFI retrospective of his film “The Duelists” dished about upcoming projects, some known and some new, such as his gestating Western called “Freewalkers” (Scott had been trying for ages to adapt Cormac McCarthy‘s “Blood Meridian“), the Bee Gees biopic that got delayed, and a WWI movie titled “Covenant With Death” based on the John Harris novel of the same name.

READ MORE: Ridley Scott Turned Down A $20 Million Offer To Helm ‘Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines’: “I Can’t Be Bought, Dude”

“I’ve got three films written, ready to go. What I’m hoping will be next is [a biopic about] the Bee Gees. Then I’ve got a great Western called ‘Freewalkers.’ And then I’ve got a First World War film based on John Harris’ ‘Covenant with Death.’…It’s a marvellous narrative that I’ve never seen before in a war film. It’s funny and class-conscious because you’ve got miners mixing with middle-class men. You discover: one guy dies, just like anybody else.”

Here is an official logline for the Harris novel via Amazon:

When war breaks out in 1914, Mark Fenner and his Sheffield friends immediately flock to Kitchener’s call. Amid waving flags and boozy celebration, the three men – Fen, his best friend Locky, and self-assured Frank, rival for the woman Fen loves – enlist as volunteers to take on the Germans and win glory. Through ramshackle training in sodden England and a stint in arid Egypt, rebellious but brave Fen proves himself to be a natural leader, only undermined by ongoing friction with Frank. Headed by terse, tough Sergeant Major Bold, this group of young men form steel-strong bonds, and yearn to face the great adventure of the Western Front. Then, on one summer’s day in 1916, Fen and his band of brothers are sent to the Somme, and this very ordinary hero discovers what it means to fight for your life.

Scott previously talked up a desire to make a mysterious pirate movie (currently doesn’t have a screenwriter or actors officially attached) and musical, but hasn’t shared an update on those fronts.

Yet, he is still developing/writing a “Gladiator 3” (something we’ve known for a while now) and would be open to making “Alien: Awakening” (his third David-focused “Alien” prequel) if he gets a meaty idea for it (telegraphing whatever ideas they had previously have likely been scrapped or used elsewhere).

“‘[‘Gladiator 3’] is in process right now. Another ‘Alien’ prequel…yeah, if I get an idea, for sure,” Scott recently told The Guardian of his sequel plans.

Given Ridley Scott’s age, we don’t know if he’s going to be able to tackle another 5-6 movies, but if anyone can, it would be the workhorse filmmaker who tends to shoot at breakneck speed that consistently keeps us on our toes.

If you weren’t already aware, “Dog Stars” is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie based on the novel authored by Peter Heller, with a script from Mark L. Smith and Christopher Wilkinson, which boasts an impressive cast that consists of Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong. 20th Century Studios is setting the release for March 27, 2026.