Steven Spielberg unveils the first chilling trailer for his long-awaited sci-fi mystery, Disclosure Day
For years, it existed only as a whisper in Hollywood. Steven Spielberg’s next science-fiction project was referred to in vague, almost mythical terms: the UFO movie, the alien film, the secret blockbuster. Now, the mystery has a name. Disclosure Day has officially arrived, along with its first unsettling trailer.
The long-awaited reveal confirms Spielberg’s return to the genre that helped define his career, but the footage offers few easy answers. Instead of spelling out its story, the trailer leans into unease. Strange images flicker past: eerie crop circles carved into fields, animals behaving unnaturally, and moments that suggest something deeply wrong unfolding just beneath the surface of everyday life.
True to form, Spielberg resists exposition. There is no official synopsis, and the trailer carefully avoids explaining what, exactly, is happening. That restraint only deepens the tension. The atmosphere feels ominous rather than explosive, hinting at a slow, creeping realisation rather than instant spectacle.
What is confirmed is the creative reunion at the heart of the project. Spielberg directs from a script by David Koepp, a collaborator whose history with the filmmaker includes Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Their renewed partnership alone signals that Disclosure Day is designed as a major cinematic event.
The cast is equally striking. Emily Blunt leads an ensemble that includes Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell and Colman Domingo. The trailer suggests Blunt plays a weather reporter whose on-air broadcast takes a disturbing turn, as she appears to speak in an unfamiliar language, possibly under some form of external influence. The moment is brief, but it lingers, raising questions about control, identity and invasion.
Josh O’Connor’s character appears central to the mystery. The footage implies he may have uncovered evidence of something not meant to be found, positioning him as a figure standing uncomfortably close to a hidden truth. Meanwhile, fleeting shots show birds and deer behaving erratically, a classic warning sign in science fiction that nature itself has sensed an approaching threat.
Colin Firth’s role is the most enigmatic of all. In one particularly striking moment, he appears to inhabit another person’s body, evoking unsettling ideas of possession and blurred boundaries between self and other. Whether this is literal or symbolic remains unclear, but the imagery reinforces the trailer’s overriding sense of intrusion.
Despite its restrained tone, Disclosure Day does not look small in scale. The trailer hints at moments of large-scale chaos and spectacle, reminding audiences that Spielberg has not abandoned the blockbuster instincts that shaped much of modern cinema. This will be his first major summer release since Ready Player One in 2018, and expectations are inevitably high.
The title itself offers another clue. “Disclosure” has long been associated with the idea of revealing hidden knowledge, particularly in discussions about extraterrestrial life. Paired with Spielberg’s history of exploring first contact in films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the implication is clear: this is a story about humanity confronting something it has long suspected but never fully understood.
Yet Disclosure Day appears less interested in wonder than in consequence. The trailer’s mood is sombre, its imagery unsettling, its silences heavy with dread. If something is being revealed, it may not be something humanity is ready to face.
Audiences will not have long to wait for answers. Disclosure Day is set for release on 12 June 2026. Until then, Spielberg seems content to let discomfort and curiosity do the talking, proving that even after decades at the top of the industry, he still knows how to make the unknown feel terrifyingly close.
