The idea behind Steven Spielberg’s latest film, “Disclosure Day,” has a ripped-from-the-headlines origin story.
The auteur, 79, is reuniting with one of his favorite genres for his 37th movie: science fiction. “Disclosure Day,” out June 12, follows a governmental conspiracy involving the existence of extraterrestrials.
Spielberg spoke with Craig Melvin along with stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo in an interview on TODAY June 3 to share why the genre has captivated him for decades and what inspired the flick’s central premise.
The filmmaker, known for hits like “Jurassic Park,” “War of the Worlds,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “ET,” said he can’t escape his fascination with whether or not humans are alone in the universe.
When Craig asked Spielberg where that curiosity originates, the Oscar winner replied, “Just a deep interest in the unknown becoming the known, you know? Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated with the sky, and what’s up there.”
He said his attraction to science fiction is rooted in exploring the possibility of other beings visiting Earth.
“Is this something that you think that human beings are ready for?” Craig wondered.
Spielberg laughed and responded, “Well, ready or not, here it comes. I mean, that’s the premise of our film.”
He revealed he came up with the idea for “Disclosure Day” after videos surfaced a few years ago of unidentified flying objects. Following the release of the mysterious footage, Congress held its first public hearing on UFOs — now known as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) — in 50 years in May 2022. Just last month, the Pentagon shared new reports detailing decades of possible UFO sightings.
Spielberg shared that the videos and hearing in 2022 “changed everything” for him.
“It wasn’t just sensationalized,” he said. “But this was something being taken very seriously by the major news media.”
And the premise for his newest film was born.
In “Disclosure Day,” O’Connor portrays a cybersecurity expert and Blunt plays a television meteorologist. Both are trying to reveal the truth about alien life despite a government agency trying to silence them. Domingo plays a vocal advocate who is also attempting to expose the government cover-up.
While speaking with Craig, Blunt said working on the film “completely” changed her thinking about alien life.
“I felt my opinion had been changed even in prepping this movie,” she said. “I had never gone down the rabbit hole of looking at every congressional hearing that’s taken place, every documentary, docuseries, everyone who has had a genuine experience.”
“I became invested in them, in the people who had had these experiences,” she added.
As for O’Connor, he said starring in “Disclosure Day” made him develop a desire to learn more about the topic.
“I really feel a sense of, like, a hunger for this information now, because I think there aren’t many advancements or bits of knowledge that we can receive that will completely unite us than something like this. The humility that it brings, knowing that we are not alone, could be …” he shared.
“Really a positive thing,” Blunt chimed in.
“ … In the hostile world, could unite us,” O’Connor finished.
Spielberg confirmed he is confident in his belief that there’s extraterrestrial life. But, he isn’t certain that they are living on Earth.
“I don’t have any evidence, obviously, (because) I don’t have any inside information about (aliens) living among us,” he said. “But I think the circumstantial evidence that exists right now, at this point, is overwhelmingly convincing that we are not alone.”