Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg says his upcoming extraterrestrial thriller “Disclosure Day” could prompt Christians and other religious audiences to wrestle with major theological questions about God, creation and intelligent life beyond Earth.

Speaking during an interview on “CBS News Sunday Morning,” Spielberg explained that the film explores the cultural and spiritual fallout that could occur if the government suddenly confirmed the existence of extraterrestrials and admitted it had concealed the truth for decades.

“There’s a faction in the film that represents a pretty good position of why — possibly because of ontological shock, social dislocation — if this truth were just known overnight,” Spielberg said, “that would mess up a lot of people.”

The Oscar-winning director said the movie follows a meteorologist and a cybersecurity expert who uncover a government cover-up involving extraterrestrial secrets dating back to 1947. According to Spielberg, one of the film’s key characters is a former Roman Catholic nun who helps frame some of the deeper spiritual questions the story raises.

“What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have?” Spielberg asked during the interview. “Is God, our God, only on this planet, or is God a God for every system where there’s civilization, intelligent life, and even developing life?”

The comments quickly sparked debate online after clips from the interview circulated on X, with some social media users framing Spielberg’s remarks as suggesting alien disclosure could destabilize Christianity.

Many Christian commentators pushed back on that idea.

“No, it won’t,” Christian podcaster Josh Daws wrote on X. “Hollywood is obsessed with the idea that the discovery of aliens will rock Christian faith. It’s weird.”

Eric Sammons, editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine, echoed that sentiment.

“The only people who think the existence of aliens would mess with Christianity are non-Christians who don’t understand the first thing about Christianity,” Sammons wrote.

The discussion surrounding extraterrestrials, UFOs and spirituality has become increasingly prominent in both religious and mainstream circles in recent years. “Disclosure Day” arrives amid growing public fascination with unidentified anomalous phenomena, often referred to as UAPs and ongoing debates among Christians about whether such phenomena could be extraterrestrial, interdimensional, spiritual or even demonic in nature.

Last week, Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti, a priest from the Diocese of Syracuse known for his work as an exorcist, made headlines after he was removed from his role as an exorcist in the Archdiocese of Washington following comments suggesting many UFO sightings may actually involve demonic activity.

Rossetti’s views align with opinions expressed by other Catholic clergy, including Father Chad Ripperger, a well-known exorcist in the Archdiocese of Denver, who has also linked certain paranormal phenomena to spiritual warfare.

Meanwhile, some Christian leaders have urged caution against sensationalism while acknowledging that questions about life beyond Earth inevitably intersect with biblical worldview discussions about creation, angels, demons and humanity’s place in God’s universe.

Spielberg’s comments also come as public interest in UFO disclosure continues to grow. On May 8, the Pentagon released additional files related to UAP investigations and encouraged the public to review the material and draw its own conclusions.