From left, Tommy Martinez as Santiago, Emily Blunt as Margaret Fairchild and Josh O’Connor as Dr. Daniel Kellner in “Disclosure Day,” directed by Steven Spielberg. The latest sci-fi blockbuster by the iconic director was shot on location in upstate New York and New Jersey.
Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
Steven Spielberg is the most successful sci-fi director of all time.
The director behind classics including “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jurassic Park,” “Minority Report,” “War of the Worlds” and “Ready Player One” is returning to the genre with “Disclosure Day,” a new blockbuster that brought production crews to locations across the Hudson Valley and Catskills.
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The film, out Friday, follows a cybersecurity expert, played by Josh O’Connor, and a Kansas City meteorologist, played by Emily Blunt, as they attempt to expose a decades-old government conspiracy to conceal the existence of extraterrestrial life. Early reviews are calling it Spielberg’s best film in decades.
Review: ‘Disclosure Day’ is classic Spielberg
Interview: Spielberg on his faith in alien life, the future of the movies and the power of empathy
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While aliens and government secrets are at the heart of the story, location scout Aaron Hurvitz said he viewed the project differently — as a road movie.
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“This is a movie about a journey,” Hurvitz said.
Telling that story required a wide range of locations, including a farmhouse, television studio, train tracks, rural roads and even a wrestling venue.
“That meant we had to capture a lot of different aesthetics and looks,” Hurvitz said.
Filming took place throughout New York and New Jersey. According to location manager Katherine Delaney, who previously worked with Spielberg on 2021’s “West Side Story,” the production stretched from southern New Jersey near Cape May to Greene County and the Catskills.
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Director Steven Spielberg works on the set of his film “Disclosure Day.”
Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures
The Hudson Valley has appealed to Spielberg for several reasons. In 2004, he filmed “War of the Worlds,” including parts of a sequence depicting an alien attack on a ferry packed with refugees, in Athens. Delaney cited the area’s natural beauty and long stretches of road that could accommodate chase scenes. Its proximity to New York City was another major advantage.
“There was a want from Steven to be close to home,” Delaney said. “He’s spent so much of his career in far-flung places, so I think he enjoyed getting to see his grandchildren on the weekends.”
Delaney credited location scout David Graham, a Delaware County resident, with helping the production identify several key filming locations.
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One of the most important was a quarry that serves as the backdrop for one of the film’s most suspenseful sequences.
“We were looking everywhere for this quarry,” Delaney said. “The water inside had to be at a certain depth, plus the cliff face needed to be a certain height. It was David who found Peckham Industries, who are located in Catskill. They were so amazing and professional.”
Delaney said the company’s then-vice president, David Colarusso, helped educate the cast and crew about the site, including how to work safely on the terrain. The production was also given free rein to the property, allowing filmmakers to complete the sequence in roughly half of the two weeks originally scheduled.
The production also filmed at Selena’s Diner in Haines Falls, about 17 miles from the quarry. Additional chase scenes were shot throughout Greene County’s fields and forests under the supervision of law enforcement.
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Further south, the crew traveled to Pearl River, where a Pfizer research facility and clinic were used for many of the film’s hospital scenes.
The film follows a cybersecurity expert, played by Josh O’Connor, and a Kansas City meteorologist, played by Emily Blunt, as they attempt to expose a decades-old government conspiracy to conceal the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures
One location that appears tailor-made for the Hudson Valley was actually built from scratch.
Delaney said the farmhouse where two characters hide was constructed in Morristown, N.J., after the production team examined nearly 100 properties across upstate New York and New Jersey.
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“What Steven wanted was so specific,” she said. “Everything had to line up in a certain way. It kind of slowly became obvious that we’d have to build the farmhouse to really achieve it.”
For Delaney, Spielberg’s vision, decisiveness and encyclopedic filmmaking knowledge distinguish him from other directors. But Hurvitz also praised his level of communication.
“He just conveys things in such a way that you go, ‘I know what you want, let me go out and find it,’” Hurvitz said. “Even if that does mean going a little further afield so you can support his vision. He just pushes you to perform at a very high level. You feel so empowered to do your job. It’s exhilarating.”
Despite Spielberg’s reputation for knowing exactly what he wants, Delaney said he remains remarkably adaptable.
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“He can pivot on the spot,” she said. “He’s always rewriting and looking to make the film better and stronger. His energy is a pace horse for everybody on set. Nobody works harder. He also has a great shorthand with his producer and cinematographer and he just trusts people to do their jobs.”
Delaney reserved similar praise for the Hudson Valley residents and business owners who welcomed the production. While she says it’s not unusual for curious passersby in New York City to interrupt filming, she said productions in the Hudson Valley are more often met with enthusiasm.
“There just seems to be a curiosity and openness that makes the experience of filming in the area so lovely for the crew,” Delaney said.
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She hopes audiences feel that same warmth when they watch “Disclosure Day.”
“The film wants us to start listening to each other. It’s not about fear or judgment. It’s about embracing humanity,” Delaney said. “I just think that Steven has put all of his years of wisdom and experience into the movie so beautifully.”