The director spoke about the 1982 blockbuster alongside star Drew Barrymore as part of a TCM Classic Film Festival: New York Pop-Up  x  92NY conversation on Saturday.

Director Steven Spielberg shares his ‘hard-fought victory’ to not have a sequel to his classic E.T.. And while I agree why it was better to not have one, the idea he had was still kind of cool. That was a real hard-fought victory because I didn’t have any rights.

Had there been an “E.T” sequel, Steven Spielberg would have had the titular alien not just phone home, but go home. In the end, Spielberg had no desire to direct a follow-up to his iconic 1982 film — and he had just enough sway to put his foot down.

Steven Spielberg recently reunited with his “E.T.” actor Drew Barrymore at the TCM Classic Film Festival: New York Pop-Up x 92NY (via Total Film) and revealed that he once “flirted” with the idea of making a sequel to “E.

When the film (now available to own from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment ) ended up being a massive success upon its release in the summer of 1982, however, director Steven Spielberg briefly considered making a second movie called E.

Steven Spielberg fought to stop a sequel to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial being made. The legendary director had already made classics including Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Raiders of the Lost Ark before he moved onto the beloved alien movie,