Steven Spielberg, the legendary director, was determined to prevent a sequel to E.T., and thankfully, he succeeded. Sequels often struggle to live up to their predecessors. Occasionally, one may outshine the original, but let’s face it, those are the exceptions. Generally, a standalone film often feels complete and saves audiences from unnecessary disappointment. E.T., in my opinion, is a classic that never warranted a follow-up. However, back in the day, there were discussions about creating one. Spielberg recounted this at the TCM Classic Film Festival: New York Pop-Up x 92NY event, noting, “That was a real hard-fought victory because I didn’t have any rights,” as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Before E.T.’s success, Spielberg acknowledged that he had limited control when it came to rights. He explained, “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.” Despite briefly entertaining the idea, Spielberg ultimately decided against a sequel.
Spielberg toyed with the concept for a while, considering a story inspired by a book titled “The Green Planet.” The narrative would have explored E.T.’s home world, offering a glimpse into his life there. In Spielberg’s words, “it was better as a novel than I think it would have been as a film.”
In hindsight, the world might have been a grim place if an E.T. sequel had materialized. Instead, Spielberg’s decision ensured the film remained a beloved classic. Plus, it certainly didn’t lack financial success, having been the highest-grossing film of its time. Let’s appreciate Spielberg’s foresight and enjoy the timeless magic of the original.
