Steven Spielberg's UFO Event Film Gets New Release Date

Steven Spielberg's upcoming event film, which is rumored to be about UFOs, has received a new release date.

According to Deadline, Spielberg's UFO film, reportedly titled The Dish, is now set to hit theaters on June 12, 2026, moving back from its original release date of May 15. The film will now share the same release date as the Scary Movie reboot, which was announced back in 2024. While plot details for Spielberg's event film are being kept under wraps, filming is reportedly set to begin this month. David Koepp, a longtime collaborator with Spielberg, wrote the script for The Dish. Koepp has previously worked with Spielberg on films such as Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds, with the most recent collaboration being Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The Dish stars Josh O’Connor (Challengers), Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Colin Firth (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Eve Hewson (Bridge of Spies), and Wyatt Russell (Overlord). While the storyline for The Dish hasn't yet been revealed, it has long been rumored that it will be about UFOs, a topic Spielberg is certainly familiar with. Many of Spielberg's most iconic films involve UFOs, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Dish will serve as Spielberg's first movie in four years, following his 2022 Oscar-nominated film, The Fabelmans.

The Dish is Spielberg's First Sci-Fi Film Since Ready Player One

While The Dish marks a return to a very specific type of sci-film for Spielberg, the iconic director did return to the genre back in 2018 with Ready Player One, a feature adaptation of Ernest Cline's bestselling novel of the same name. Written by Cline and Zak Penn, Ready Player One follows Wade Watts as he works to uncover the Easter Egg hidden in the virtual world of OASIS, in hopes to win control over the virtual reality world. The film stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg and Mark Rylance. The film earned $583 million at the worldwide box office, which made it the 12th highest-grossing film of 2018.

Most recently, Spielberg earned wide acclaim for his Oscar-nominated film, The Fabelmans, a drama loosely based on Spielberg's early life and how he grew to become passionate about filmmaking. The Fabelmans stars Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen and Judd Hirsch. The film is currently not available on any streaming services but is available to rent or purchase on VOD platforms such as Fandango at Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.

The Dish lands in theaters on June 12, 2026.

Source: Deadline