Fresh off his Oscar nomination for Best Actor in Rustin, Colman Domingo is now in talks to join Steven Spielberg‘s untitled event film alongside a star-studded cast. Spielberg is set to return to the summer movie action with his latest project, written by frequent collaborator and legendary screenwriter David Koepp. The upcoming mysterious film is being kept under wraps, but early indications tease the director’s most exciting project in years.
Deadline reports that Colman Domingo is in talks to join the cast of Steven Spielberg’s next event film, which is being made under Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. If the deal goes through, Colman would join Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Eve Hewson in the untitled picture. The actor is currently getting Oscar buzz again for his performance in this year’s Sing Sing, adding to his recent awards streak. Although plot details are non-existent (other than it’s UFO-related) and the cast is still coming together, Universal already has a summer 2026 release date in their release schedule reserved for Spielberg’s film. The director returns to summer blockbuster filmmaking after producing a smaller, more personal project, The Fabelmans.
Of course, there is no official indication that Spielberg’s next movie is a blockbuster, action-packed movie. The release schedule timing and “event film” moniker lean speculation toward that outcome, but an A-list cast featuring Domingo, Emily Blunt, and Colin Firth says a lot about the project’s ambitious nature. There is a palpable excitement regarding the film, as all signs indicate the biggest Spielberg film in quite some time.
Steven Spielberg Is Back to Basics
Since releasing Ready Player One in 2018, Steven Spielberg took a break from summer blockbusters to produce more heartfelt works. From directing a musical drama in West Side Story to telling a story loosely based on his own life in The Fabelmans, Spielberg has been keying in on passion projects. After directing some of the best blockbusters ever made, it’s more than understandable that Spielberg has lessened his blockbuster output over the years. Now, the upcoming event film starring Colman Domingo is being primed for the summer, a long-awaited return to what helped make Spielberg’s name known around the world. Moreover, it is based on an original story by the director, and not an existing IP.
Domingo adds Spielberg’s project to a busy schedule, which currently has him co-starring in Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic. He is set to voice the iconic Marvel villain Norman Osborn in Disney+’s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, expected to stream on the platform later this year. He recently showed up in the Oscar-nominated remake of The Color Purple, produced by Spielberg, who directed the 1985 original. In the upcoming event film, the actor reunites with the director after appearing in Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Domingo is currently set to star, direct, and co-write a Nat King Cole musical biopic.
The Steven Spielberg event film is set to release on May 15, 2026.
