Steven Spielberg Developing a UFO Movie As His Next Project

In addition to reteaming with Martin Scorsese on a TV adaptation of their 1991 film Cape Fear, director and producer Steven Spielberg is plotting his next move — a movie about a UFO. There are very few details in a Variety report, which serves as a catalog of what directors over 70 are doing with their time, but it claims that the movie, which is based on an original idea from Spielberg, will be written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park). It’s hardly the first time he has tackled the alien genre, directing Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial are two of the most influential UFO movies ever made, and have helped shape the genre for decades. 

The filmmaker’s most recent offering was The Fabelmans, a quasi-autobiographical movie about a boy who grew up loving movies. In 2023, he started developing a documentary about film composer John Williams.

“I’ve enjoyed his company and the pleasure and the gift of his inspiration. Can a muse be a man? He’s certainly been a muse for me,” Spielberg said at the time. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a disagreement….I mean, what am I going to do? Sit down and write the music myself?” The director then caused Williams to choke up by saying, “In the art form that we’ve both chosen, he has been the most steadfast brother and collaborator that I’ve ever had in my life. And that’s how I would sum up how much I love you.”

Nick Antosca is developing a new series based on Cape Fear, a 1957 John D. MacDonald novel which has previously been adapted into two different feature films — once in 1962, and again in 1991. The 1991 version was directed by Martin Scorsese, who will serve as an executive producer on the series. It will team Scorsese with another of Hollywood’s most celebrated filmmakers, Steven Spielberg,whose Amblin Television is underwriting the project along with Universal Cable Productions. Antosca is best known for his acclaimed series The Act and Brand New Cherry Flavor.