When it comes to thebest movies of the 1980s, there are few films more beloved thanE.T.Brimming with adventure, heart, and one ofcinema’s greatest friendships, the movie remains among the most special of directorSteven Spielberg’s career. Additionally, the picture was a massive box office and merchandising success, so it only seemed natural that Universal would pursue a sequel. Of course,such a follow-up never came to pass, thanks to Spielberg himself. While most studio directors would love to have a franchise spun off of one of their films, Spielberg fought to keep it from happening, and, with the gift of retrospect, we couldn’t be happier that everyone’s favorite extraterrestrial never returned to the big screen.
Spielberg Fought to Keep an ‘E.T.’ Sequel From Happening
These days, if a film hits at the box office, it’s almost inevitable that there will be some sort of sequel or follow-up,whether the story calls for it or not. But back in the 1980s, turning a hit property into a sequel was not always a guarantee. For Steven Spielberg, though, he did consider revisitingE.T., albeit briefly. According tothe Hollywood Reporter, a recent conversation withDrew Barrymoresaw Spielberg reflect on the idea. “I flirted with it for a little bit—just a little bit to see if I [could] think of a story—And the only thing I could think about was a book that was written by somebody that wrote the book for it calledThe Green Planet, which was all going to take place at E.T.’s home,” Spielberg explained. “We were all going to be able to go to E.T.’s home and see how E.T. lived. But it was better as a novel than I think it would have been as a film.”
Steven Spielberg Almost Directed an Episode of ‘Twin Peaks’
Oh, what could have been…
However, Spielberg’s ultimate rejection of the idea wasn’t the end of the potential follow-up. At the time, Spielberg’s rejection alone wasn’t enough to call off any sort of sequel. “That was a real hard-fought victory because I didn’t have any rights,” the director stated. “BeforeE.T., I had some rights, but I didn’t have a lot of rights. I kind of didn’t have what we call ‘the freeze,’ where you’re able to 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 afterE.T.because of its success.” Interestingly, Spielberg is rumored to use his rights to stop furtherE.T.desecration. Universal’s Orlando theme parks havelong celebrated Spielberg’s work, withThe E.T. Adventurebeing one of the resort’s longest-running attractions. However, perTheme Park Tourist, there is a rumor that Spielberg has threatened to end his relationship with Universal, should they close the attraction, though these rumors remain unconfirmed. Still, when one considers the lineage of such efforts, or the proposed work itself, it’s safe to say Spielberg’s rejection of the idea was the right move.
An ‘E.T.’ Sequel Could Have Ruined the Original Film’s Legacy
In the decades sinceE.T., Spielberg has overseen some ofthe greatest franchisesin film history. However, follow-ups without the director’s involvement have often yielded poor results. One needn’t look any further thantheJawsseriesfor an example. What started with a film that is stillnothing short of remarkableended with a picture that is often consideredone of the worst movies ever made.A major part of what made the series fall from grace so fast was the lack of Spielberg’s involvement, a feat that does not bode well for anE.T.sequel. Additionally, after reading the nine-pagetreatment for the film, it’s easy to see why Spielberg ended up turning against it. Ultimately, the first film is perfect in its stand-alone form. Its deep themes are only made more prominent with the knowledge that our lead characters will never see each other again. Trying to follow that up in such a brazen way would have not only cheapened the ending, it would have ruined the film’s legacy. While it’s hard to step away from a beloved character or fantastic story, it was truly the right move to letE.T.be the masterpiece it is.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
