Entertainment · Film · 2 hrs ago
Spielberg’s Unmade Alien Horror Project Helped Lead to E.T
Steven Spielberg developed Night Skies, an alien horror film that was never made.
The project was planned as a story about mischievous aliens disrupting a rural family’s life.
Spielberg was set to produce it, with John Sayles writing the screenplay, Ron Cobb expected to direct and Rick Baker designing the aliens.
Night Skies’ development helped give rise to E.T., Gremlins and Poltergeist, though the film itself did not go ahead.
The project was developed after Spielberg’s success with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and its story changed from horror toward the family-friendly E.T. The abandoned project shows how one film idea fed several famous movies.
Steven Spielberg developed Night Skies, an alien horror film that was never made.
The project involved John Sayles as screenwriter, Rick Baker designing the aliens and Ron Cobb expected to make his directorial debut.
Movie journalist Max Evry said the film was planned as a story about evil or mischievous aliens disrupting a family at a rural farmstead.
The project’s development helped lead to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Gremlins and Poltergeist.
The team spent close to a million dollars developing Night Skies, according to Evry.
- Who
- Steven Spielberg developed the project. John Sayles, Ron Cobb, Rick Baker and Kathleen Kennedy were also involved.
- What
- Night Skies was an alien horror movie that was never made. Its development helped lead to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Gremlins and Poltergeist.
- When
- It was in development in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- Where
- The planned story involved aliens visiting a rural farmstead.
- Why
- Not stated
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released.
Spielberg developed Night Skies, an alien horror movie that was never made.
- Project
- Night Skies
- Director developing the project
- Steven Spielberg
- Screenwriter
- John Sayles
- Alien designs
- Rick Baker
- Development spending
- Close to a million dollars
- Stories linked to the project’s development
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Gremlins and Poltergeist
What people are saying
They spent close to a million dollars developing this thing.
It was heavily developed, and I think would've been a great movie.
I think it's just a great tool that he uses to explore different subjects.