3. E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a Spielberg classic and family favorite for a very good reason. It’s a heartwarming movie about innocence and friendship, and it’s utterly delightful in almost every way. A sequel seems unnecessary, but one was still considered way back when. Surely E.T. 2 wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, though, would it?
Actually, it might have been. One of the proposed sequels would have involved Elliott being kidnapped by evil aliens and contacting E.T. to help. It would have had a much, much darker tone than the first film, and would have strayed into horror movie territory at times. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it?
E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears was thankfully dropped as Spielberg believed it would “rob the original of its virginity“. He’s not wrong, but the terminology is pretty troubling. Still, Nocturnal Fears would have helped turn a beloved movie into nightmare fuel, so let’s all just be grateful that it didn’t get made.