The Real Reason Steven Spielberg Returned to Alien Sci‑Fi With Disclosure Day

Steven Spielberg is getting back into UFO territory, and this time he sounds a lot less hypothetical about it. His new movie, 'Disclosure Day,' lands June 12, and the spark for it is basically: the real-world UFO/UAP drumbeat got too loud for him to ignore.

From Close Encounters hope to 'I think this is happening'

Spielberg told Fandango that when he made 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' nearly 50 years ago, he researched the reports and weird sky stuff and got close to believing. Still, that film ran on optimism and imagination because he wasn’t convinced any of it was real. Now? He says his headspace has shifted.

"I really believe that things that I was only hoping were true back then are things that are actually happening now today."

The 2023 push that tipped him over

In another appearance (at IMO), Spielberg pointed to the 2023 surge in UFO/UAP attention as the moment the idea clicked. He specifically called out a New York Times piece by Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal, and Leslie Kean — a story fueled by a whistleblower — and the wave of whistleblowers and pilots testifying that followed. It’s not every day a director name-checks the bylines that nudged him into production, but that’s where he says 'Disclosure Day' took shape.

His premise is pretty spicy too: imagine all the government-held info on this topic dropping at once, then watch the scramble by the powers that be to keep that disclosure from happening.

So what is 'Disclosure Day' actually?

• Release date: June 12, 2026
• Premise: A what-if thriller about a sudden, full-scale public reveal of UFO/UAP information — and the push to stop it before it sees daylight.
• Emily Blunt: Plays a Kansas City TV meteorologist who gets hit by a mysterious extraterrestrial phenomenon live on air.
• Josh O'Connor: A true believer dead set on blasting the truth out to everyone.
• Also starring: Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes.

First look reactions are glowing

Press saw footage ahead of release, and the early praise is loud. Collider editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub (via Variety) raved about Spielberg’s direction, calling it another huge win. Reporters Bill Bria and Germain Lussier echoed the enthusiasm, and Rotten Tomatoes’ Tessa Smith went all-caps over how strong the film plays. Translation: the early crowd thinks Spielberg stuck the landing.

Between the real-world inspiration and a cast built to carry a nervy sci-fi thriller, this one’s clearly aiming to blur the line between pulp and what Spielberg now believes might be reality. We’ll find out how far he pushes it on June 12.