About half a century after his first contact with alien life in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, director Steven Spielberg hopes to recapture some of the old the extra-terrestrial magic with Disclosure Day (in theaters June 12).
Sure, he’s tangled with the possibility of alien life numerous times over the last 50 years with E.T. (1982), War of the Worlds (2005), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
But there’s something about Disclosure Day‘s wider scope; the notion of various characters—from government officials all the way down to ordinary citizens—profoundly affected by something unexplainable beyond this planet that really harkens back to the filmmaker’s original feature foray into UFOs. Because of that, many fans are speculating that the movie might turn out to be a stealth sequel to Close Encounters, much in the same way M. Night Shyamalan’s Split was a follow-up to Unbreakable.
Spielberg’s Disclosure Day answers questions raised by Close Encounters
As cast member Emily Blunt told Empire for the magazine’s June 2026 issue, “There are definitely questions posed by Close Encounters that are answered in Disclosure Day.”
The A Quiet Place actress plays the role of Margaret Fairchild, a meteorologist who, as shown in the trailers, becomes some sort of conduit for the alien visitors, uttering unearthly clicks during a live television broadcast. “She’s walked through life with itchy fingertips,” Blunt said. “She has this sense that she doesn’t belong where she is right now.”
Margaret eventually links up with Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor), a government employee on the run from his superiors with information that would disclose the cosmic secret to all of humanity. On the villainous side of the spectrum, you’ve got Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), head of a government contractor Wardex, whose mission is to keep a tight lid on things.
“It has a certain amount in common with certain ’70s conspiracy thrillers but in a completely different way from Close Encounters,” screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, and Crystal Skull) shared with Empire. “This felt like Three Days Of The Condor to me. Conspiracies are fantastic for movies because they’re an onion, and you peel away layers and find out more and more.”
Thankfully, Margaret and Daniel have allies like Hugo Wakefield (Colman Domingo), a character whole-heartedly in favor of disclosure and potentially a stand-in for the director himself. Spielberg, who came up with the story for the movie, really wants to have a true close encounter one of these days.
“We’ve never discussed it, but I feel like Hugo is a surrogate for Steven,” Domingo told Empire. “I feel like Steven’s optimism, his trust, his belief in the moon and the stars and all that is beyond are embedded in my character.”
When does Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day come out?
The latest sci-fi offering from director Steven Spielberg lands exclusively in theaters Friday, June 12.
Tickets are not yet on sale and the film is currently unrated, though it will most likely receive a PG-13 designation.
