Everything You Need To Know About Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day

So what's the real truth about aliens? Are we alone in the universe? Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" is a work of fiction, not a documentary — but it does present an intriguing vision of what might happen if we made contact with extra-terrestrials.

Spielberg is back for his first film since his autobiographical 2022 film "The Fabelmans," and ahead of the release of "Disclosure Day," we'll be honest: we don't know a whole lot about the plot, as it's being kept well under wraps. We basically just know that the title refers to whether or not world governments will tell their citizens about aliens ... a literal "day of disclosure." Here's what we do know, though.

Anyone who's even vaguely familiar with Spielberg's body of work knows that he excels at making tense, cinematic science fiction and thriller movies, and he's even made a handful of movies about aliens like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "War of the Worlds," just to name a few. In that way, he's returning to his roots with "Disclosure Day" ... and speaking of "The Fabelmans," he even nods to his youthful obsession with aliens. Plus, let's not forget: Spielberg himself believes in aliens. As he told former late-night host Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show" in 2023, "I don't believe we're alone in the universe. I think it's mathematically impossible that we are the only intelligent species in the cosmos. I think that's totally impossible."

You heard the man! So what else do you need to know about "Disclosure Day," from its ambitious scale to its all-star cast to the way it harkens back to some of Spielberg's earliest and most beloved films? Here are just some of the basics you should know before sitting down to watch "Disclosure Day."

You might be surprised to learn, unless you have an extremely thorough working knowledge of Steven Spielberg's entire life, that one of his earliest (and reportedly worst) movies, "Firelight," which isn't even actually available to watch, was also about aliens. (Only a few minutes of "Firelight" survived, which, if you believe Spielberg himself, is for the best.) After that, though, you can see that aliens were a massive influence on Spielberg's worth, from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" to "War of the Worlds" and even the much-maligned sequel "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull."

So who appears in "Disclosure Day?" The movie's extraordinarily stacked cast includes Oscar nominee Emily Blunt (as a former journalist and local news meteorologist Margaret Fairchild), "Wake Up Dead Man" standout and Emmy winnr Josh O'Connor (as cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner), Oscar winner Colin Firth (as CEO Noah Scanlon), "Bad Sisters" and "The Perfect Couple" star Eve Hewson (as Daniel's girlfriend Jane Blankenship), and Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (as the mysterious Hugo Wakefield). 

Longtime fans of Spielberg will also be happy to hear that legendary composer John Williams crafted a score for "Disclosure Day," continuing the pair's decades-long collaboration. (While it feels impossible for Williams to top something like his scores for "Indiana Jones" or "Jaws," he undoubtedly came up with something incredible for Spielberg for "Disclosure Day.") As the release date of "Disclosure Day" — approaches, fans can get excited for a fascinating story from this legendary director, great performances, and a massive, epic score. Catch "Disclosure Day" only in theaters starting on Friday, June 12.