Universal Pictures has announced that Steven Spielberg’s next film will open in theaters on May 15, 2026. It’s unclear what the untitled project — which the studio describes as a “new original event film” — is about, though it was already reported to be about a “UFO” film.
Spielberg, 77, is set to direct, based on his own original idea. David Koepp is writing the screenplay. No other details were revealed. The good news is that Tony Kushner isn’t writing the script. Nothing against Kushner, but I believe it’s smart to branch out with another screenwriter on this one.
With a filmography that spans six decades and more than 40 films, Spielberg’s landmark career has been that rarest of beasts, mixing commercial success with resounding artistic merits. His most notable works include “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Schindler’s List,” “E.T.” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
Spielberg’s last film was 2022’s “The Fabelmans,” the most personal statement of his career, and which garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews and a Toronto audience award to boot. This came after another critically-acclaimed film, 2021’s “West Side Story,” which itself was a seven-time Oscar nominee.