11 Awesome Movie Scenes That Almost Didn't Happen

1. The Bike Flight - E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

The history of ET movies could have been vastly different to what we actually got thanks to the still-mind-boggling suggestion that there was almost a sequel that would have been a horror movie called Night Skies that would have smushed the original's more light-hearted spirit into the mud.

In reality, the original ET was almost a lot less uplifting than it became and we have test audiences to thank for that change in tone. Initially, Spielberg's first version ended on the downer note of ET being killed off, which predictably didn't go down well with the test audiences, because nobody likes seeing characters they've just fallen in love with horribly murdered by the government.

The reactions changed the film and we ended up getting to see ET escape the government stooges, including the iconic bike in front of the moon shot that is now pretty much the defining image of Spielberg's career. And to think, it was basically an after-thought.

Which other scenes belong on this list? Share your favourites below in the comments thread.