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 revisiting E.T., albeit briefly. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a recent conversation with Drew Barrymore saw 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 called The 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.”
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. “Before E.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 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.” Interestingly, Spielberg is rumored to use his rights to stop further E.T. desecration. Universal’s Orlando theme parks have long celebrated Spielberg’s work, with The E.T. Adventure being one of the resort's longest-running attractions. However, per Theme 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 since E.T., Spielberg has overseen some of the greatest franchises in film history. However, follow-ups without the director’s involvement have often yielded poor results. One needn’t look any further than the Jaws series for an example. What started with a film that is still nothing short of remarkable ended with a picture that is often considered one 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 an E.T. sequel. Additionally, after reading the nine-page treatment 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 let E.T. be the masterpiece it is.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Release Date
June 11, 1982
Runtime
1h 55m
Writers
Melissa Mathison
Image by Nimesh Niyomal
English (US) ·