Acclaimed director Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie Disclosure Day will provide closure to some questions that were raised in his first alien film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Spielberg has directed three alien movies in his career: 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and 2005's War of the Worlds. After 21 years, he's returning to the genre with Disclosure Day, which arrives in theaters this June.
During an interview with Empire, Disclosure Day star Emily Blunt, who plays meteorologist Margaret Fairchild, revealed that "there are definitely questions posed by Close Encounters that are answered" in the upcoming film.
“There are definitely questions posed by Close Encounters that are answered in Disclosure Day.”
It's been 49 years since Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released in theaters. Ever since it was revealed that Spielberg's next film would center around aliens, speculation has been running rampant online that Disclosure Day is an unofficial sequel to the classic '70s sci-fi flick.
While Blunt didn't go into specifics about what kinds of questions will be answered in Disclosure Day, Close Encounters of the Third Kind does grapple with the existence of extraterrestrial life, humankind's constant quest for answers about the universe, and the government's role in all of it.
Spielberg himself has said that the questions of whether humans are alone on Earth and whether humans are alone in the universe have stayed with him for several years, and he believes that Disclosure Day will provide closure not only for himself but for fans as well.
Disclosure Day is one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. In the new Universal Pictures film, Blunt's Margaret Fairchild works in the world of news as a meteorologist, but her life takes an unexpected and concerning turn when she starts emitting strange clicking sounds live on the air. This scene has been at the center of the marketing strategy for Disclosure Day after being featured in the trailers.
Blunt, whose previous credits include The Devil Wears Prada, A Quiet Place, Mary Poppins Returns, and Oppenheimer, also told Empire that Margaret has "this sense that she doesn't belong where she is right now," which will be explored in the film, though it hasn't been confirmed yet how her stunning on-air situation is connected to that journey.
“She’s walked through life with itchy fingertips. She has this sense that she doesn’t belong where she is right now.”
Starring alongside Blunt in Disclosure Day are Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson, Wyatt Russell, Mckenna Bridger, Elizabeth Marvel, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Michael Gaston, Elliot Villar, Tommy Martinez, Patricia Conolly, Noah Robbins, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Lance Archer, Brian Cage, and Gabby Beans.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind has had a huge impact on the sci-fi genre ever since it was released in 1977. The story revolves around a man named Roy Neary, who discovers a UFO, and a mother named Jillian Guiler, who faces a nightmare scenario when her son gets abducted.
The film, which grossed $306 million at the box office and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (with a 91% score), earned eight Oscar nominations and won for Best Cinematography, along with a Special Achievement Academy Award for sound editor Frank Warner.
Disclosure Day will be released in theaters on Friday, June 12, 2026.
