For well over a half-century, Steven Spielberg has been putting out one legendary movie after another ranging from all-time great sci-fi films to Best Picture winners, and everything in between. And fortunately for us, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker continues to create new movies.
Though the title hasn’t been announced just yet, I just can’t hold back my excitement for what Universal Pictures has called an “Event Film.” So for now, I'm going to break down everything we know about the mysterious project that will kick off the Summer 2026 blockbuster season.
What Is The Release Date For Steven Spielberg's Next Movie?
So, when will we get to see this mysterious Steven Spielberg movie? Well, Universal Pictures has announced that “untitled event film” will hit theaters on May 15, 2026, which is basically the start of that year’s summer blockbuster season. And what a summer it’s going to be at the box office.
Spielberg’s latest big-screen affair will open in between one of the biggest upcoming Marvel movies with the Russo brothers’ Avengers: Doomsday and Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu, a highly anticipated upcoming Star Wars movie. But that’s just the beginning, as we’ll see the new Christopher Nolan movie, Toy Story 5, Shrek 5, and the next Spider-Man movie before school starts back up.
The New Steven Spielberg Movie Cast
Not much is known about the project at this point, but we do know that the new Steven Spielberg movie cast is stacked with incredibly talented actors from top to bottom. And since we’re so early in the film’s development and pre-production, this list is only going to grow as the weeks and months go by. Let’s meet them now…
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt will add Steven Spielberg to the list of talented directors the Academy Award-nominated actress has worked with in the past, as Variety reported in June 2024 that the Oppenheimer and The Fall Guy star would be appearing in Universal Pictures’ big event film. Blunt is no stranger when it comes to big productions, as she’s previously led projects like Edge of Tomorrow, Jungle Cruise, and the critically acclaimed A Quiet Place movies, to name a few.
Josh O’Connor
In November 2024, Deadline reported that Josh O’Connor would be joining the cast of Steven Spielberg’s next project, but no information about his character was revealed at the time. O’Connor, who became an international star following his portrayal of a young Prince Charles in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown, has been on a tear as of late with big roles in films like Lee and Challengers. He’s also set to appear in Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery in 2025.
Colin Firth
Colin Firth will finally get to work with Steven Spielberg, as the Oscar winner is set to appear in the director’s upcoming event film. Back in August 2024, Deadline reported that the star of The King’s Speech, Love Actually, and the Kingsman movies would be appearing in this highly anticipated project. With scores of credits to his name, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The English Patient, Firth should feel right at home.
Colman Domingo
Colman Domingo has spent the past few years becoming one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood thanks to unforgettable roles in Rustin, The Color Purple, and most recently, Sing Sing. That momentum won’t stop anytime soon, as Deadline has reported that Domingo will have a role in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming project. Like the other actors involved, Domingo’s exact role has not yet been disclosed.
Eve Hewson
And then there’s Eve Hewson, who was announced to be part of the upcoming Steven Spielberg movie back in September 2024, per Deadline. This won’t be the actress’ first time working with Spielberg, as she previously appeared in Bridge of Spies. Since then, Hewson has landed roles in movies like Tesla and Flora and Son, as well as shows like Bad Sisters and The Perfect Couple.
What Is Steven Spielberg’s Next Movie About?
The title and premise of Steven Spielberg’s next movie have not yet been made public, but a Variety report from April 2024 may have given us an idea of what to expect. In the article, which talked about Spielberg and Martin Scorsese’s upcoming projects, the outlet cited sources familiar with the project when it reported that the follow-up to The Fabelmans would be a UFO film based on an original idea from the director.
The legendary filmmaker is no stranger when it comes to UFO and alien stories, as some of Spielberg’s best movies, like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and War of the Worlds have all dealt with interplanetary visitors. Where the new movie fits on that spectrum is anyone’s guess at this point.
Steven Spielberg Is Teaming Up With Longtime Collaborator David Koepp
Steven Spielberg may have come up with the original idea behind his latest event film, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, his longtime collaborator David Koepp is penning the script. Koepp previously worked with Spielberg on Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which leads us to believe that the rumors about the movie focusing on UFOs may in fact be true.
This Isn’t The Only Steven Spielberg Project In The Works
Steven Spielberg’s next movie isn’t the filmmaker’s only big project coming out in the near future, as he’s teaming up with Martin Scorsese to produce the Cape Fear series for Apple TV+. In November 2024, Apple TV+ announced that the series is being adapted by Nick Antosca and will see Academy Award winner Javier Bardem take on the role of Max Cady, the unhinged and revenge-fueled ex-convict famously played by Robert Mitchum in the 1962 adaptation of John D. MacDonald’s The Executioners novel, and then later by Robert De Niro in Scorsese’s tremendous 1991 remake. Expect to hear much more about this upcoming Apple TV+ show in the coming weeks and months, because this could be another great original series for the popular streaming platform.
May 2026 will be here before you know it, but we should know more about Steven Spielberg’s next movie well before then. In the meantime, it’s never a bad time to check out our breakdown of the 2025 movie schedule.
