EXCLUSIVE: Inside Steven Spielberg's Secret 'UFO' Flick — After Showing of First Footage Sparks Even More Mystery Over Long-Awaited Sci-Fi Project

Steven Spielberg has broken his silence on the long-rumored sci-fi project that’s left Hollywood buzzing, saying: "I've been behind the camera for so long, that a dedication like this is extraordinary."

He made the remarks during a rare appearance at a Universal Pictures event where the first footage of the film was unveiled, and RadarOnline.com can reveal everything you need to know about the project.

The still-untitled film, widely dubbed a "secret UFO thriller," is scheduled for release in 2026.

Directed by Spielberg, 77, the movie reunites him with screenwriter David Koepp, 61, and features a high-profile cast including Emily Blunt, 41, Colman Domingo, 54, Josh O’Connor, 34, Colin Firth, 63, and Eve Hewson, 33.

Though plot details remain tightly under wraps, a screening of raw footage has only heightened speculation about its themes and content.

Rumors are swirling Firth is playing the film’s main antagonist, with some insiders suggesting the film could be linked to E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Others believe it marks a bold new direction for the filmmaker.

Sources who attended the screening event, held at Universal Pictures’ newly-dedicated Steven Spielberg Theater in Los Angeles, described one sequence in which Blunt's character is chased by ominous black vehicles.

In another scene, her battered sedan collides with a speeding train while O'Connor’s character fights to escape.

A source close to the production said: "The energy is relentless. It's action, it's mystery, but it also feels emotionally loaded – classic Spielberg with a twist."

Characters played by Hewson and Domingo are also glimpsed, though their roles remain vague.

One source said they appear to be caught in "a brutal game of survival that races through farmhouses and panics innocent bystanders."

Meanwhile, Firth is reportedly seen leading what appears to be a covert operation from a control room resembling a NASA command center – lending credence to his rumored villain status.

This marks Spielberg's return to large-scale action filmmaking for the first time since 2018's Ready Player One. Koepp, who previously collaborated with Spielberg on Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds.

He said about the filmmaker: "What he does so brilliantly is that he combines a vast spectacle with really honest, human emotion. Unlike, I think, any other director – it's a very emotional experience, this movie."

The sneak peek was revealed during a private ceremony hosted by NBCUniversal Entertainment chair Donna Langley, 56, alongside Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, 65, and president Mike Cavanagh, 57.

Langley said: "Our hope and dream is that this is not just a place founded on Steven's extraordinary legacy, but a place of future hopes and dreams of storytellers who are going to take this company into the next 100 years, and the 100 years after that."

Spielberg appeared moved by the dedication.

"To have a theater in my name, with this kind of impressive hardware, is not something I ever imagined," he said.

The new screening room includes 250 green velvet seats and boasts Dolby Vision 4K, Laser 4K, Dolby Atmos sound, and projection capabilities for both 35mm and 70mm formats.

And while the behind-the-scenes reveal may not have clarified the film’s plot, it has undoubtedly amplified the buzz.

One Universal executive summed it up by saying: "You think you know what Spielberg's doing – then he surprises you all over again."