According to a recent interview with ComicBook.com, actor Henry Thomas (who played Elliot in the original film) said that while he doesn’t believe we’re getting a remake of the 1982 Steven Spielberg classic, E.T.: the Extra Terrestrial, anytime soon, he would not write it off as impossible. “There had been ideas kicked around over the years. There were some serious talks early on because the studio was really pushing for it, to follow up the success of the 1982 season,” Thomas told interviewers. In the interview, details of the sequential movie idea re-emerged, which was reportedly titled E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears, and would have “seen aliens from another planet visit Earth to kidnap Elliott and his friends, requiring E.T. to save the day.” It was set to incorporate elements from popular horror films, a clear deviation from the original flick’s family-oriented nature. Unfortunately, it never happened. What did end up coming to fruition, however, was a brief reunion between E.T. and Elliot for a 2019 Xfinity commercial. In the ad, E.T. returns home to a now grown-up Elliot, his family, and a quarter-century’s worth of technological developments. The point of the commercial was to “reconnect for the holidays.” Thomas went on to say that “Spielberg okayed the commercial because that’s as close to a sequel as he’s willing to go, as he’s willing to allow. The response for that Xfinity spot was so overwhelming and people thought it was a teaser for a sequel which created a huge, huge stir on the internet.” All that’s to say, the ball is in your court now, Mr. Spielberg. Next, The 80 Best Movies of the ’80s—From The Breakfast Club to The Princess Bride
