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During an appearance at SXSW in March, Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg, who has long dreamed of making a Western, revealed that he was finally developing one. He also made fans a promise: “There will be no stereotypes, no tropes. I can guarantee you that.” Now, Janusz Kamiński, Spielberg’s longtime cinematographer and collaborator of more than three decades, has offered a new update on the project.
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Polish-born Kamiński recently returned to his homeland for the ToruńCAMERIMAGE International Film Festival, where he received the THR Visionary in Cinematography Award. In an accompanying interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he confirmed that his next collaboration with Spielberg is expected to be the filmmaker’s first Western, with production potentially beginning in 2027.
Although the project will be an American Western, Kamiński said much of its visual inspiration comes from his memories of Poland. He recalled visiting the Sudeten Mountains, a range spanning parts of eastern Germany, southern Poland and the northeastern Czech Republic, where the rolling hills reminded him of areas in Montana. Kamiński explained that the terrain, snow and fog can also be found in the United States, but filmmakers from other countries often see those landscapes differently. That, he said, is why the industry needs artists from around the world to bring fresh aesthetic perspectives to American cinema.