Steven Spielberg has been one of the most prolific filmmakers in Hollywood since the 70s. The director has tackled every genre and has shown that he can confidently execute them with conviction. It’s hard to believe that such diverse films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Color Purple Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Minority Report came from one filmmaker.
The director is set to return to his sci-fi roots with the announced UFO film. With this film, the director is also making a unique change to his filmography as he is finally making an original story that he came up with rather than adaptations of books or real-life historical events.
Steven Spielberg Conceived His Upcoming UFO Film Unlike Most of His Post-2000 Films
Following 2022’s The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg has announced two projects he will be directing. The first is a reimagining of Steve McQueen’s Bullitt with Bradley Cooper as the lead (via GamesRadar). The most recent announcement was a UFO film that Spielberg came up with, with his Jurassic Park writer David Keopp tapped to write the screenplay.
The director came up with the idea of the film which will be an original piece that will hit theatres in the summer of 2026 (via World of Reel). The project will serve as a significant departure for Spielberg compared to his films since 2002’s Minority Report. The director has been mostly making films based on real-life historical events or adaptations of books/films.
Minority Report, War of the Worlds, Catch Me If You Can, The Adventures of Tintin, Munich, and Ready Player One were all based on various books. On the other hand, War Horse, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, and The Post were based on real-life events. 2021’s West Side Story was an adaptation of the beloved 1957 musical of the same name and The Fabelmans was a semi-autobiographical film based on his own life.
Considering all these, his UFO film will be his first original film in a long time. One expects to be wowed once again and for the film to evoke a similar feeling to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a UFO film he did long back, which he wrote and directed. It remains to be seen what Spielberg and Koepp have cooked up for audiences as more details regarding the project will come out as time goes on.
Colin Farrell Found It Shocking That Steven Spielberg Wanted Him For Minority Report
Colin Farrell starred alongside Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi action film Minority Report. The film was a futuristic tale putting focus on PreCrime police who stopped crimes before they even took place. Farrell plays an agent from the Department of Justice who goes on the hunt for Cruise’s character when he is found to be guilty of a crime he’s about to commit in the future.
Farrell was early in the acting scene, and getting to work with a legendary filmmaker like Spielberg was a dream come true. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, the actor revealed how it was shocking to him how he was about to have a meeting with the director.
He had grown up watching Spielberg’s films like Jaws, Indiana Jones, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Getting to sit with the director and having lunch with him was enough for Farrell and it didn’t matter whether he didn’t get the role. Farrell said,
I got a call from my agent saying, ‘Steven Spielberg wants to meet you.’ Which was a shocker. You know, ’cause I’d grown up watching Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Indiana Jones. And we sat down and we talked, and I shared a sardine sandwich with him, which was enough for me. If I didn’t get the role, just to share a sardine sandwich with Steven Spielberg — I’d nailed the day.
Farrell ultimately played the role of Danny Witwer in the film and he did a great job in it. Minority Report received great reviews and grossed $358 million against a $102 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). Fans can watch/rent Minority Report on Apple+.
