Spielberg Fans Swarm Over 'Disclosure Day' Trailer, Convinced It's a Stealth Sequel

The new sci-fi film's visuals and Spielberg's involvement have sparked theories it's connected to past classics like 'Close Encounters' or 'Taken'.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 5:06am

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Hype is building around Steven Spielberg's upcoming sci-fi film "Disclosure Day" as fans scour the latest trailer for clues that it may be a secret sequel to past Spielberg classics like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" or "Taken". The trailer features classic Spielberg sci-fi elements like glowing UFOs, scrambled communications, and government coverups, leading some to speculate the film is set in the same narrative universe as those previous works.

Why it matters

Spielberg is known for his ability to craft big-budget blockbusters that also contain deeper thematic elements, and his involvement as a writer and director on "Disclosure Day" has fans eager to uncover any potential connections to his past filmography. If the theories are correct, the film could provide a long-awaited continuation of storylines and themes Spielberg has explored before around first contact with extraterrestrials and government conspiracies.

The details

The "Disclosure Day" trailer features a number of visuals and narrative elements that evoke Spielberg's 1977 classic "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", including glowing UFOs, scrambled communications, and bizarre animal behavior. The film also stars Josh O'Connor as a character who stumbles into a wider conspiracy, similar to the protagonist in "Close Encounters". Additionally, Spielberg has a story credit on "Disclosure Day", just as he wrote "Close Encounters" himself. This has led some fans to theorize the new film is a sequel set decades later, with the government having covered up the events of the first film. Others believe "Disclosure Day" may be connected to Spielberg's 2002 miniseries "Taken", which also dealt with alien abductions and human-alien hybrids.

  • The first teaser for "Disclosure Day" dropped in December 2025.
  • The latest trailer for the film was released in March 2026.

The players

Steven Spielberg

An acclaimed American filmmaker who has directed numerous blockbuster movies, including "Jaws", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Saving Private Ryan", and "Jurassic Park". He has story credit on "Disclosure Day".

Josh O'Connor

A British actor who stars in "Disclosure Day" as a character who stumbles into a wider conspiracy.

Emily Blunt

An English actress who appears in "Disclosure Day" as a weather anchor who gets pulled into the film's events.

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What’s next

Fans will be eagerly awaiting the release of "Disclosure Day" this summer to see if their theories about its connections to Spielberg's past works prove true.

The takeaway

Spielberg's ability to craft blockbuster films that also contain deeper thematic elements has made him a master of the cinematic surprise, and the hype around "Disclosure Day" shows his fans are primed for the possibility that the new film may secretly be a long-awaited sequel to some of his most beloved sci-fi classics.