Steven Spielberg Plans a Western: This Is His Next Project After Disclosure Day
The master director reveals first details about his next film
Steven Spielberg is back! This summer, audiences will get to see his new sci-fi thriller "Disclosure Day". But the master director shows no signs of slowing down: Spielberg's next film is already in the works. At a panel during SXSW, the filmmaker revealed the first details about his upcoming project, which will explore a classic genre.
In conversation with Sean Fennessey from The Big Picture podcast, it became clear: Spielberg wants to make a western next! With ominous words, he announced that something is currently in development. The director held back on specific details. He only said this much:
"There will be horses. There will be guns. There will be no tropes, I can tell you that. There's going to be no stereotypes."
Spielberg is making a western
Spielberg has already hinted several times that he would like to make a western at some point. His fascination with the genre is no secret. Just think of Spielberg's last film "The Fablemans", in which director John Ford also played a role. In general, his admiration for Ford's Westerns is immense: In an interview with the American Film Institute, Spielberg mentioned that he regularly watches Ford's films before starting production on his own movies. Among his favorites are the John Wayne classics "Stagecoach" and "The Searchers".
With his Western, Spielberg is now venturing into new territory. According to his own statements, making a Western is something he has not yet been able to master. His comments also make it clear that he still has ambitious creative goals and is willing to experiment. Most recently, for example, he tackled the musical genre for the first time with his remake of "West Side Story".
Disclosure Day
But before Spielberg's western, we can first look forward to "Disclosure Day". The science fiction thriller is about humanity finding out that it is not alone. The cast is impressive, featuring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Josh O'Connor, and Colman Domingo, among others. The release date has already been set: "Disclosure Day" opens in cinemas on June 12, 2026. You can get a first impression with the latest trailer.
Hollywood icon Steven Spielberg
A look at Spielberg's career shows why an excursion into the western genre is so exciting: hardly any other director has had such an impact on cinema over the decades – and created such an impressive series of classics in the process.
Spielberg's breakthrough and numerous classics
Steven Spielberg celebrated his international breakthrough in 1975 with "Jaws". The thriller about a man-eating shark is considered the starting signal for modern blockbuster cinema and set new standards for suspense and staging. This was followed just two years later by "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", a visionary science fiction film that proved Spielberg's flair for the fantastic.
In the 80s, Spielberg finally cemented his status as a guaranteed hit. With "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, he created the iconic character Indiana Jones together with George Lucas – an adventure film that is still regarded as a genre reference today. In 1982, he touched an audience of millions with "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial", an emotional story about friendship and the unknown.
Spielberg in the 90s and 00s
But Spielberg was not only good at classic blockbusters: in 1993, he impressively demonstrated his versatility with "Schindler's List". The Holocaust drama won several Oscars. In the same year, he landed another milestone with "Jurassic Park" – this time in the field of visual effects, which changed cinema forever.
Spielberg remained creatively versatile in the decades that followed. With "Saving Private James Ryan" (1998), he created one of the most haunting war films ever. This was later followed by works such as "Minority Report" (2002), a dark sci-fi thriller about surveillance and predestination, and "Catch Me If You Can" (2002), starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Spielberg's last films to date
More recently, Spielberg has once again shown his range: "Ready Player One" (2018) was a visually opulent adventure in a virtual world, while "The Fablemans" (2022) was a very personal film that shed light on his own childhood and the beginning of his passion for cinema. Spielberg last appeared in front of the camera in the documentary series "Mr. Scorsese".
In view of this filmography, it is clear that Spielberg has never committed himself to one genre. Whether thriller, science fiction, adventure film, drama or musical – he has left his mark on them all. This makes the prospect of him taking on a western, a genre that has long fascinated him but which he has so far avoided, all the more exciting.
