Steven Spielberg Is Finally Making His First Western, and Filming Could Start Next Year
Over a career spanning blockbusters, war epics and science fiction, Steven Spielberg has tackled almost every genre, but a Western has always slipped through his fingers. He made ‘Saving Private Ryan’, redefined effects-driven filmmaking with ‘Jurassic Park’, and directed dramas like ‘The Color Purple’. Somehow, though, he has never directed a Western.
He has been hinting that this would change. In 2025, Spielberg said he still had an appetite for a Western and called it something that had eluded him for decades. Then at SXSW in March, he told The Big Picture he had a Western in development that he couldn’t reveal yet, promising horses, guns, and no tropes or stereotypes.
Now the project has a rough timeline. In a new Hollywood Reporter profile of Spielberg’s longtime cinematographer Janusz Kamiński, the outlet revealed that his next collaboration with the director is an untitled Western, Spielberg’s first, which Spielberg hopes to shoot in 2027. The news quickly spread online, with one fan replying that they hoped it could help revive an underappreciated genre.
The update came as Kamiński was honored with THR’s Visionary in Cinematography Award at the Camerimage festival in Toruń, Poland. The Polish-born cinematographer has worked with Spielberg for more than 3 decades.
Although the film will be an American Western, Kamiński said much of his visual inspiration comes from memories of Poland, including the Sudeten Mountains. “That’s why there’s room in this profession for men and women from different countries who bring different aesthetics to American movies,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
THR said only that Spielberg hopes to shoot next year. No firm start date, cast, plot, or release date has been announced. This would be Spielberg’s first Western as a director, but he has worked in the genre before as a producer. His producing credits include the 2005 TNT miniseries ‘Into the West’, as well as the Western-flavored ‘Back to the Future Part III’ and ‘Cowboys & Aliens’.
The final trailer for Steven Spielberg’s ‘DISCLOSURE DAY’ has been released. Releases in theatres June 12. https://t.co/YqW74qAuC0
— Pop Base (@PopBase) May 27, 2026
World of Reel noted that the Western has clearly been a defining influence on Spielberg, pointing to ‘The Fabelmans’ as evidence. That makes it all the more surprising that he has waited this long to direct one.
The Western follows Spielberg’s return to science fiction this year with ‘Disclosure Day’, a UFO movie starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. It also marked his 30th film with composer John Williams.
The film drew decent reviews but struggled commercially. According to World of Reel, it earned $239 million worldwide against a break-even point of around $300 million, making it Spielberg’s 3rd straight film to lose money after ‘West Side Story’ and ‘The Fabelmans’. A Western isn’t exactly a safe commercial bet either.
None of that seems to be slowing him down. Spielberg, who turns 80 next month, said last year that he has no plans to ever retire. If cameras roll in 2027, 2028 would be the earliest possible release. ScreenRant suggested 2029 may be more likely if filming starts later in the year.
Like ‘Disclosure Day’, the project may stay heavily under wraps for a while. ScreenRant also noted that a Spielberg Western with the Oscar-winning Kamiński aboard could help push the genre’s renewed popularity beyond streaming television.
Are you excited to see Steven Spielberg finally direct his first Western?
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