There’s nothing quite like a Steven Spielberg action sequence. Think those incredible Indiana Jones setpieces (the Raiders boulder! The Temple mine-cart chase!), Jurassic Park’s dino mayhem, or Minority Report’s jetpack brawl. And while his new summer blockbuster Disclosure Day is many things – a sci-fi movie; a conspiracy thriller; an alien flick – it’ll also see the legendary director once again put pedal to metal.
“It’s an action movie,” the director tells Empire in a major new interview. “It has a large scale. It comes out of the gate very fast. I think this is a very experiential story.” And, in true classic Spielberg style, it has big ideas underpinning it all. “It’s also a very emotional deep dive into how people perceive each other, so it has echoes of the divisiveness that goes on today. Within the genre of science-fiction, it offers a few solutions regarding the importance of empathy,” he says. The film is being kept tightly under wraps, but sees the likes of Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt and Eve Hewson wrestling with an extra-terrestrial cover-up, pursued by Colin Firth’s corporate contractor trying to keep the truth under wraps.
“It has a certain amount in common with certain ’70s conspiracy thrillers but in a completely different way from Close Encounters,” teases screenwriter David Koepp, who penned the script from Spielberg’s own story. “This felt like Three Days Of The Condor to me. Conspiracies are fantastic for movies because they’re an onion, and you peel away layers and find out more and more.” That’s the basis for more classic Spielberg setpieces, with “giant stunts, car chases and a massive train-sequence,” promises producer Kristie Macosko Krieger – the latter of which saw O’Connor and Blunt strapped to a real speeding locomotive. “It was not CGI,” she confirms. “Steven likes things as practical as humanly possible.” Get your popcorn ready now.
The new issue of Empire features a major new Steven Spielberg interview, on his lifelong sci-fi obsession, his legendary contributions to the genre, and how it all culminates in his new original feature, Disclosure Day. Plus, we sit down with the Disclosure Day cast – Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Eve Hewson – and screenwriter David Koepp to get the first word on the summer’s most top-secret blockbuster. Find the Steven Spielberg issue on newsstands from Thursday April 9. Pre-order a copy online here. Disclosure Day comes to cinemas from June 12.
