‘Disclosure Day’ or Not, UFO Movies Never Left

Universal’s Disclosure Day isn’t out for another three months, but Hollywood’s already looking to follow in its footsteps.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, studios are looking at creating “serious UFO movies,†like what Steven Spielberg’s upcoming blockbuster looks to be. Among the mix is a currently untitled project from F1 director Joseph Kosinski and another called Unidentified, courtesy of The Boys director Sylvain White, billed as “the most grounded, historically anchored†telling of the 1947 Roswell incident.

Audiences have never really lost their appetite for UFO stories, even as Hollywood hasn’t given that the same love it has with other slices of sci-fi. Before Disclosure Day, the last big mainstream piece of UFO-related media would’ve been Nope back in 2022, but things have changed within the last year or so. Dan Da Dan, which is partially a UFO story, has grown in popularity since its anime adaptation, and Ryan Coogler will have his take on the UFO phenomenon with an X-Files reboot headlined by Danielle Deadwyler.

And those are just the fictional tellings: earlier this year, former president Barack Obama caused a kerfuffle when he said aliens were real, later clarifying they’re likely to exist somewhere out there. There’s also the 2025 documentary The Age of Disclosure, which featured U.S. government officials discussing UFOs (or UAPs) and became Prime Video’s highest-grossing documentary at the time of its release. As Unidentified producer Bryce Zabel told THR, UFOs and UAPs are on the brain because “people are now becoming aware for the first time that this is a serious thing and it’s not crazy. You couldn’t have two presidents that are more different than Obama and Trump, and yet both of them are entertaining the possibility that this is real.â€

We’ll see how well Hollywood rides the UFO wave after Disclosure Day hits theaters on June 12.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.