Steven Spielberg wanted to make Disclosure Day as a "summation" of all his sci-fi films.
The iconic director's latest blockbuster is out now, and follows a long history of his own sci-fi movies, including the likes of 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and 2005's War of the Worlds.
He told Entertainment Weekly: "I'm telling the story about an area of interest that I have never been able to divest myself of.
"It has been too compelling for me, and has kept me thinking about what's out there, what's been out there, and how come we've not been told it's out there.
"And I wanted to finally make this movie, in a way, as a summation film for all the sci-fi films I've made, starting with Firelight when I was 17 years old on 8mm film — about the truth about: Are we alone, or are we not alone?"
However, Spielberg has made it clear that despite speculation from fans, his new movie isn't a follow-up to his 1977 classic.
He added: "It is not a sequel in any way, shape, or form to Close Encounters."
Both films do feature cover-ups of alien activity, although Spielberg pointed out that in Disclosure Day, the government aren't hiding them.
He explained: "I really don't believe that governments can keep secrets.
"But big tech companies can. And there are contracting companies that I believe hold all the knowledge and have the archives, not governments."
One thread that does go through both is the idea of "ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances", which was uttered in Close Encounters by Bob Balaban's translator David Laughlin to describe the gathering of civilian characters.
Spielberg said: "It's all about balancing what the audience will believe is true inside the film and what the audience will feel is jumping the shark.
"I never wanted anything about this movie to fall into the uncanny valley. I wanted it to hit people like, 'Yes, I believe in this story, all these events are actually happening.'
"And when things became too sci-fi-ish, I would sit with David Koepp or the cast and figure out a way to make it more like real life and less like science fiction."
Disclosure Day stars Emily Blunt as meteorologist and former journalist Margaret Fairchild alongside Josh O'Connor as a young cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner.
Blunt's character is inadvertently brought into a conspiracy to reveal information about aliens on Earth.
The star-studded cast also includes Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo.
