Steven Spielberg Reflects on the Challenging Battle to Prevent an E.T. Sequel

There was almost an E.T. sequel on the horizon, but thankfully, Steven Spielberg put his foot down to ensure it didn’t come to fruition.

We all know that sequels are a tricky business. Occasionally, a sequel might prove its worth, and in those rare instances, it may even outshine its predecessor. But more often than not, it’s wiser to let a great film stand alone and save everyone from disappointment. E.T. is a prime example of a movie that should remain untouched by the sequel bug. Apparently, though, once upon a time, there was a push from the studio for a follow-up. Spielberg, speaking at the TCM Classic Film Festival: New York Pop-Up x 92NY event, revealed this struggle, as covered by The Hollywood Reporter.

Reflecting on those days, Spielberg explained, “Before E.T., I had some rights, but they were pretty limited. I didn’t have what’s known as ‘the freeze’—the power to stop a studio from creating a sequel because you control its future uses, whether that’s sequels, remakes, or other adaptations of the intellectual property. But after E.T., and due to its incredible success, I finally obtained that kind of control.”

The director admitted, “For a brief moment, I toyed with the idea, just to see if a story might develop. All I could think of was a book titled ‘The Green Planet,’ set on E.T.’s home turf. We’d bring audiences to E.T.’s world and reveal how he lived. But ultimately, I realized it was better suited as a novel than as a cinematic adventure.”

Had a sequel gone forward, who knows what the fallout might have been? The world as we know it might be different—or at least, cinema history would be. Thankfully, Spielberg stayed his course. And let’s be honest, E.T. brought in more than enough at the box office, at one point holding the title of the highest-grossing film ever. So, rest easy knowing Spielberg’s instincts served us all well.