10 Huge Sequels That Were Announced (And Then Just Disappeared)

10. E.T. 2

We all know that E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial is a Steven Spielberg classic, and has long been considered a staple in any movie lover's personal collection. One can hardly forget the first time they experienced the heartfelt story about a homesick alien, his bond with a young boy, and their subsequent quest to return E.T. to his rightful home. The movie was a huge success, having earned 9 Oscar nominations and the title "Highest Grossing Film of 1982". Even now it sits on the list of highest grossing films of all time, comfortably placed at #42, among movies such as The Avengers, The Titanic, and several of the Harry Potter installments. The success of E.T. naturally sparked talks of a sequel, one that would see Elliot dealing with the loss of his friend, the divorce of his parents, and the eventual threat of alien invasion. The working title was E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears, and it had all the ingredients to make an interesting and exciting sequel, but the film never made its way past the 9-page pitch, which has since been made available to the public. So what was stopping this feature from taking off? It's likely a multitude of factors were taken into consideration when deciding whether or not to give Nocturnal Fears a chance, but in the end, Spielberg explained that it was partially due to the unstable and unpredictable nature that is inherent in the realm of sequels. When asked by the American Film Institute about the film, he said, "Sequels can be very dangerous because they compromise your truth as an artist. I think a sequel to E.T. would do nothing but rob the original of its virginity. People only remember the latest episode, while the pilot tarnishes." Perhaps if more filmmakers took these profound words to heart, society would have been saved from several cinematic disasters, but alas.