Steven Spielberg Confirms He’s Making His First Western and Says It “Kicks Ass”
Steven Spielberg has directed just about every kind of movie imaginable over the last five decades. From the shark-infested terror of Jaws to the emotional power of Schindler’s List and the blockbuster wonder of Jurassic Park, the legendary filmmaker has explored nearly every corner of cinema.
But there’s one genre he somehow never tackled: the Western, and that’s about to change.
During a keynote appearance at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Spielberg spoke about the kinds of films he still wants to make. When the subject came up, the director didn’t hesitate.
He wants to make a Western and it sounds like the project is already in motion. “I wanna shoot it in Texas!”
And this isn’t just a dream project sitting on a wishlist. Spielberg confirmed that a Western is actively in development.
“I can't reveal anything right now but I have something in development right now,” Spielberg teased before promising, “And it kicks ass.”
Naturally, that comment got the crowd excited. Spielberg didn’t reveal story details, casting, or a timeline, but he did share a little insight into how he plans to approach the genre.
According to the director, his take won’t lean on the familiar storytelling shortcuts people often associate with classic Westerns.
“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.”
That’s an interesting promise. Westerns traditionally rely on recognizable archetypes and themes, so hearing Spielberg say he wants to sidestep those elements suggests this project could bring a fresh perspective to the genre.
The idea of Spielberg directing a Western has been floating around for decades. The filmmaker has even acknowledged that it’s one of the few cinematic spaces he hasn’t fully explored yet. He previoulsy said:
“I was asked that question over the last forty years of my career, if not longer, and I always said a musical was the one thing I haven't done. The thing I neglected to say, which I've never done, and the one genre that I haven't really tackled yet, is the Western. So, who knows, maybe I'll be putting on spurs someday, who knows?”
Spielberg has brushed up against the genre before. He served as a producer on the Western miniseries Into the West, and the adventurous spirit of the frontier has always lingered in the DNA of the Indiana Jones movies. Still, he’s never directed a full-blown Western.
Spielberg has mastered several genres throughout his career, particularly science fiction. He’s directed eight sci-fi films so far, with his ninth, Disclosure Day, set to arrive in theaters on June 12, 2026. The man clearly knows how to command a massive audience and deliver unforgettable cinematic moments.
Westerns may not dominate the box office like they once did, but the genre still has a huge following. Shows like Yellowstone have proven that audiences are more than willing to ride back into frontier storytelling when it’s done right.
So the idea of Spielberg stepping into that world is pretty exciting.
A Western directed by one of the greatest filmmakers in movie history? Yeah… that sounds pretty damn awesome.