Given his extensive work on alien-themed films, one might assume Steven Spielberg would be a complete conspiracy theorist. However, the filmmaker behind sci-fi masterpieces like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind had never been particularly open about his views on extraterrestrial life. That has now changed.
During a keynote conversation at Friday’s South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where he was promoting his new science fiction movie Disclosure Day, Spielberg disclosed his firm belief that extraterrestrials coexist with us. “I don’t possess any more knowledge than you do, but I’m highly convinced that Earth is currently inhabited by more than just humans,” Spielberg stated. “And I’ve created a film exploring that very idea!”
What sparked this conviction? And what motivated him to produce his first genuine UFO film since Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Spielberg credited a 2017 New York Times piece authored by Helene Cooper, Ralph Blumenthal, and Leslie Kean. The article detailed an event where an F/A-18 launched from the USS Nimitz and, according to the pilots who observed it, came across “an object that moved with unprecedented speed.”
The article, along with the subsequent documentaries it generated about comparable unexplained phenomena, propelled Spielberg to conceive the narrative for Disclosure Day. He presented the concept to his longtime associate David Koepp, the screenwriter behind several of his most acclaimed works including Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds. “He’d crafted a treatment—a story outline—that was quite thorough and extensive… very comprehensive,” Koepp told Inverse. “And he asked me, ‘What’s your take on this?'”
Spielberg and Koepp spent two years developing the screenplay, which Koepp characterizes as “likely the most demanding writing collaboration I’ve ever had with him.”
“I believe it’s because this was his personal story, plus he’s aware he’s tackled UFO narratives previously,” Koepp explains. “Each had a distinctly different feel. Consider Close Encounters, ET, and War of the Worlds—they’re three separate genres, really. This film is unique as well, and he aimed for both originality and perfection. So the process was extremely challenging.”
While in post-production on Disclosure Day, another development nudged Spielberg deeper into believer territory. In January 2026, ex-President Barack Obama made headlines for stating that aliens are “real.” Spielberg’s instant response was: “Oh my God, this is fantastic for Disclosure Day!” he quipped.
Although Obama quickly retracted his statements, Spielberg remained steadfast in his conviction that extraterrestrials do exist. “He clarified his position to express his belief in cosmic life—which, naturally, everyone should share,” Spielberg remarked. “Since nobody should assume we’re the sole intelligent species in the universe. I’ve believed since childhood that we’re not alone. That’s obvious. The crucial question is: Are we alone currently? And have we been alone for the past 80 years? For the past several millennia?”
Yet even as a committed believer, Spielberg expressed no anxiety about aliens. “I’m completely unafraid of that possibility. I believe our film acknowledges the potential societal upheaval. If authorities revealed decades-long alien contact, it would shake many belief structures. But I don’t consider it a catastrophic disruption.”
Nevertheless, he wouldn’t mind experiencing a real sighting, joking: “I directed Close Encounters of the Third Kind—yet I haven’t even experienced a first or second kind encounter!” he exclaimed. “Why haven’t I witnessed anything? Many of my friends have seen UFOs or UAPs. How is that fair? If anyone’s listening out there…”