Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day Finally Answers the Big Questions from Close Encounters of the Third Kind

So, Steven Spielberg is apparently not done with UFOs. After all these years and all those flying saucers, he's back with another extraterrestrial event movie called 'Disclosure Day.' If you thought he said everything he had to say with Close Encounters, E.T., or even the ‘aliens in the fridge’ in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, think again. 'Disclosure Day' is coming to theaters on June 12, and Spielberg wants you to know he still has some questions—and this time, maybe some answers, too.

The Usual Suspects (and then some)

The cast is stacked: Emily Blunt, who just seems to be everywhere right now (and usually killing it), leads the movie alongside Josh O'Connor (if you’ve watched ‘The Crown’ or just saw him get very competitive in ‘Challengers’, you know the guy), Oscar-winner Colin Firth, Eve Hewson (who has quietly been racking up good roles), and Colman Domingo, who’s pretty much become award-nominee royalty lately.

One thing to note: this isn’t a sequel, but it’s very much in conversation with Spielberg’s past alien movies. This time, he wrote the story himself, and the screenplay comes from long-time collaborator David Koepp. These two have done this sort of thing before with ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘War of the Worlds’, and, yes, Crystal Skull, so they clearly can write a blockbuster that prints box office dollars (their prior work together has made over $3 billion globally, which is more than enough to fund a realistic UFO defense fleet).

Who Does What?

• Emily Blunt plays Margaret Fairchild, a journalist who veers into weather presenting. The trailers have already teased one surreal TV moment: mid-broadcast, Margaret starts producing these weird, almost alien, clicking sounds that are definitely not part of a normal weather update.
• Josh O’Connor is Daniel Kellner, a cyber-security guy who uncovers sensitive top-secret info, instantly reducing his life expectancy and giving the plot its paranoid edge.
• Eve Hewson plays Jane Blakenship, Daniel’s girlfriend, who’s dragged into the mess and dealing with the fallout from his digital spelunking.
• Colin Firth is the antagonist, Noah Scanlon, who heads up a government contractor called Wardex. In short: his job is to keep the universe’s biggest secret under wraps, and he does not mess around.
• Colman Domingo is Hugo Wakefield. He used to work for Wardex, but unlike Scanlon, his mission is to get the truth out there. In short, he’s the guy stirring the pot.

Production-wise, you’ve got Kristie Macosko Krieger (who’s been all over Spielberg’s recent films) producing alongside Spielberg again. There’s also Adam Somner and Chris Brigham in executive producer chairs, for you deep credits-watchers.

Answers to Old Questions?

Now, for the part that makes this movie a little weird for longtime Spielberg fans: there’s been a lot of speculation that ‘Disclosure Day’ might be a stealth sequel or at least spiritually connected to ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind.’ Emily Blunt herself basically confirmed it when she told Empire:

'There are definitely questions posed by Close Encounters that are answered in Disclosure Day.'

So, yes, Spielberg is intentionally revisiting territory he first explored nearly 50 years ago, but with the benefit of all the UFO disclosure madness and conspiracy chatter that’s cropped up in recent years. And in case you need a reminder, Spielberg still believes:

'I’ve always been fascinated with things that cannot be explained… not the possibility, but the guarantee that there is life off this planet.'

If you’re the kind of fan who likes it when directors pick up dangling plot threads from decades ago and actually try to resolve a few of them, this probably just hit your must-see list.

So, are you ready for Spielberg to finally lay out his answers to the big questions hanging over Close Encounters? Or are you mostly here for the spectacle and the 'what on earth was that?' moments? Either way, ‘Disclosure Day’ is looking like one to watch, even if you don’t believe the truth is out there (or, you know, up there).