The legendary filmmaker opens up about aliens, his new UFO thriller Disclosure Day, and why he believes humanity is on the verge of something historic.
At 79 years old, Steven Spielberg has spent decades transporting audiences to other worlds. But during a keynote conversation at SXSW in Austin this weekend, the director made it clear he is no longer interested in fiction when it comes to one particular topic.
“I don’t know any more than any of you do, but I have a very strong suspicion that we are not alone here on Earth right now — and I made a movie about that,” Spielberg told the audience during a live interview with podcaster Sean Fennessey.
The moment was electric. Here was the man who defined the modern alien encounter with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. (1982) — films that shaped how generations think about extraterrestrial life — now standing in front of a live audience, making what sounded remarkably like a confession.
“The Big Question Is: Are We Alone Now?”
Spielberg’s comments come amid a seismic shift in how the topic of UFOs — now officially termed UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) — is discussed in mainstream circles. The filmmaker acknowledged being “reinvigorated” into making his first UFO movie since Close Encounters by two major catalysts: The New York Times’ 2017 exposé on a secret government program tracking UFOs, and the recent congressional hearings featuring government whistleblowers.
“The big question is: Are we alone now?” Spielberg said. “And have we been alone over the last 80 years? Have we been alone over the last few thousand years?”
He also addressed former President Barack Obama’s recent viral comment confirming aliens are “real.” Spielberg’s reaction? Pure, unfiltered enthusiasm for his upcoming project.
“Oh, my God, this is so great for Disclosure Day!” he recalled thinking. “And two days later, he stepped it back to say what he believed was life in the cosmos — which, of course, everybody should believe in. Because no one should ever think that we are the only intelligent civilization in the entire universe.”
A Director Who’s Never Seen a UFO
Perhaps most striking: Spielberg admitted he’s never experienced a close encounter himself — despite making an entire career exploring the concept.
“I made a movie called Close Encounters of the Third Kind — I haven’t even had a close encounter of the first or second kind!” he joked. “Why haven’t I seen anything? Half of my friends have seen UFOs or UAPs. Where’s the justice of that?”
Despite his apparent frustration, the director expressed no fear about the possibility of alien contact. “I’m not afraid of any aliens,” he said. “I have no fears about that whatsoever.”
However, he acknowledged that widespread disclosure could cause serious societal disruption. “Our movie does take into consideration that social dislocation that could occur. If it was announced there is interaction [with aliens] that has been going on for decades, it’s going to cause a disruption in a lot of belief systems. But I don’t think it is a lethal disruption at all.”
Disclosure Day: The Film Arrives
The upcoming Disclosure Day — starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth — chronicles what happens when humanity receives undeniable proof that we are not alone. The film opens June 12 and represents one of several high-profile projects currently exploring UFO lore seriously, riding the wave of recent government hearings and media reports on UAPs.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film has resulted in some confusion online given a documentary last year titled Age of Disclosure, which interviewed former government officials about UAPs, with some wondering if Spielberg’s fictional movie is part of a larger conspiratorial effort on the topic.
Spielberg reflected on how far the conversation has come since he first tried to make Close Encounters. “Nobody would let me make Close Encounters because it was on the fringes of science and mythology,” he recalled. “When I said, ‘I want to make a UFO movie,’ everybody thought, ‘You want to make a movie about The National Enquirer?’”
Now, nearly five decades later, the director is finally being taken seriously on a topic he’s spent his entire career exploring — both in fiction, and apparently, in life.
Disclosure Day opens in theaters June 12, 2026. Read more about the film on Deadline.
