Steven Spielberg Is Finally Making A Western, And He Has A Big Promise [SXSW]
by Ryan Scott · /FilmIt's finally happening. Steven Spielberg, one of the greatest directors to ever do it, is making a Western. It may sound crazy, but the man who brought us everything from "Jaws" to "Schindler's List" and "Jurassic Park" has never made a proper Western, despite a filmography that dates back more than 50 years now. But the Oscar-winner is now working to fill this genre gap.
Spielberg was a keynote speaker at SXSW in Austin, Texas, largely to promote his upcoming sci-fi movie "Disclosure Day," which recently revealed a new trailer. Talking about the kinds of movies he wants to make, Spielberg didn't hesitate in saying "a Western." He then gleefully added, "I wanna shoot it in Texas!" But this is more than just something on the "maybe someday" wishlist, as the filmmaker confirmed that he is working on one currently.
"I can't reveal anything right now but I have something in development right now," Spielberg teased before promising, "And it kicks ass." When pressed about it later in the conversation, he only confirmed, "I'm developing a Western. And it's gonna have horses, and there will be guns. But there will be no tropes, I can just tell you that. There are gonna be no stereotypes, no tropes."
It's hard what a Western without tropes looks like, but we're guessing Spielberg's Western will be a bit outside the box. Spielberg previously said a Western was the one genre he still wished to direct. With all the love in the world, the man isn't getting any younger, and it appears as though he understands that on some level. So, he's seeking to make that wish come true sooner rather than later. Can I get a hell yeah?
Steven Spielberg's Western is a mystery for the time being
Unfortunately, for the time being, details remain very scarce. Steven Spielberg was very cagey about it during the conversation but the crowd lit up when he said that he was developing a Western. It's easy to understand why. We're talking about one of the masters of his craft playing in a rich, previously unexplored sandbox for him.
Spielberg has dabbled with the genre in the past. He produced the Western miniseries "Into the West," which is almost impossible to watch today. He's also incorporated a lot of iconography from the genre into some of his other movies, including the "Indiana Jones" franchise (seen above). But he's never out-and-out dabbled with cowboys on horseback shooting guns at one another or anything along those lines. What might a guy like Spielberg be able to do in that space? It's an intriguing question.
Spielberg has directed eight sci-fi movies, with his ninth scheduled to hit theaters on June 12, 2026. He's mastered that genre, it seems fair to say. He's one of the finest purveyors of blockbuster cinema we've ever had and he knows how to work an audience. Westerns certainly aren't as popular as they once were, but shows like "Yellowstone" are huge right now, and honestly, it does feel like the right time for Spielberg to put his stamp on the genre. Now, we wait.