Steven Spielberg’s return to sci-fi has a new 2026 release date.
Spielberg’s next movie with Universal will open in theaters on June 12 instead of May 15. Spielberg’s film replaces the Daniels’ next movie, which was removed from the release calendar. Per Deadline, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once reportedly needs more time. A new date is expected to be announced soon.
Universal is hoping the move to June will facilitate a bigger box office return with less competition. The Spielberg film shares a date with the Scary Movie reboot. The UFO movie comes one week after Masters of the Universe (June 5) and one week before Toy Story 5 (June 19). Had the movie stayed in May, it would have to contend with Avengers: Doomsday on May 1 and The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22.
Details remain scarce on Spielberg’s new original event film, which is rumored to involve UFOs. The cast includes Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, and Eve Hewson. David Koepp, who previously collaborated with Spielberg on Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds, will pen the screenplay, while Kristie Macosko Krieger will produce for Amblin Entertainment.
Spielberg has directed two projects this decade. The multi-time Oscar winner hailed 2021’s West Side Story, the second feature film adaptation of the 1957 musical. Spielberg followed that up with 2022’s The Fabelmans, the semi-autobiographical film loosely inspired by the iconic director’s upbringing. West Side Story and The Fabelmans received critical acclaim, but both films were financial failures.
Spielberg’s UFO movie is his return to sci-fi blockbuster filmmaking, a style he last executed in 2018’s Ready Player One.
