Back in the day, there was almost a sequel to E.T., but thankfully, director Steven Spielberg stood his ground to prevent that from happening.
It’s a bit of an open secret that movie sequels often struggle to measure up to their originals. Sure, every now and then, a sequel might surprise us by being just as good or even better than its predecessor, but those instances are few and far between. Generally, it’s wiser to let a successful film stand alone to avoid any potential disappointment. E.T. is a classic example that many of us can’t picture having a follow-up. Yet, once upon a time, there were talks of a sequel. Spielberg shared his experience during the TCM Classic Film Festival: New York Pop-Up x 92NY event, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, revealing, “That was a real hard-fought victory because I didn’t have any rights.”
Before E.T.’s massive success, Spielberg admits he didn’t have much control over sequel rights. He explained, “I kind of didn’t have what we call ‘the freeze,’ where you can stop the studio from making a sequel because you control the freeze on sequels, remakes, and other ancillary uses of the IP. I didn’t have that. I got it after E.T. because of its success.” Despite briefly entertaining the idea of a sequel, Spielberg was ultimately uninterested in pursuing it further.
He toyed with the concept briefly, trying to come up with a story, but the only idea that stuck was inspired by a book titled “The Green Planet.” This story was primarily set on E.T.’s home planet, offering a glimpse into how E.T. lived. Although intriguing as a novel, Spielberg doubted it would translate well into a movie.
If a sequel had been made, it might have left us in a less vibrant world, so it’s a relief that Spielberg’s vision prevailed. Besides, the legendary film raked in substantial box office earnings, once standing firm as the highest-grossing movie of all time.
