Josh O’Connor Officially Joins Steven Spielberg Event Movie At Universal Alongside Emily Blunt

As eagle-eyed readers may recall, back in July we brought you the news that Challengers ace and rising British star Josh O'Connor could star in Steven Spielberg's upcoming event movie with Emily Blunt. At the time, Universal were quick to note that Production Weekly's cast listing didn't constitute official confirmation of anything, and the rumour mill swiftly wound down for a spell. Well, whaddaya know? Now, per Deadline's reporting, we can say for certain that Josh O'Connor not only could star in Spielberg's latest — he most assuredly will.

As Deadline have confirmed, the in-demand actor — soon to be seen in Knives Out threequel Wake Up Dead Man, Kelly Reichardt heist joint The Mastermind, and opposite Paul Mescal in queer romance The History Of Sound — will co-star with Emily Blunt in the movie, whose powerhouse ensemble now also includes Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Eve Hewson. Whilst details about the project remain firmly under wraps still for now, we do know that Spielberg's movie is based on his own original story, with longtime collaborator David Koepp having handled the screenplay. If we were to indulge in some harmless speculation however, we may note that during a recent IMAX Investor Presentation, there was a conspicuously placed May 2026 Universal Pictures project entitled The Dish, which is a title that certainly doesn't deter speculation that this secretive event movie of Spielberg's could in fact A) be The Dish, and B) be the long-gestating UFO movie that Spielberg has had in the pipeline for some time. Food for thought, anyway...

What we do know for sure is that whatever Spielberg is cooking up over at Amblin and Universal, his next project is set to mark a return to the kind of four-quadrant, big summer blockbuster that the legendary filmmaker himself helped create with movies like Jaws,E.T., and Jurassic Park. And with a growing constellation of stars aligning to help bring Steven Spielberg's vision to life, we're signed up, seated, and ready to see whatever he has in store when the movie's 15 May, 2026 cinema release arrives. And if it is The Dish, and it is a UFO movie, then we called it!