# Before Directing the Biggest Success of His Career, Steven Spielberg Almost Made an Alien Horror Movie Instead

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/before-directing-the-biggest-success-of-his-career-steven-spielberg-almost-made-an-alien-horror-movie-instead/
- Published: 2026-11-13T23:06:23+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T01:27:32+00:00
- Original publisher: IGN
- Original article: https://www.ign.com/articles/steven-spielberg-night-skies-et-almost-made-an-alien-horror-movie-instead
- Topics: Entertainment, Film, Horror, Paranormal, Weird & Viral

## Key points

- Spielberg’s abandoned alien horror project helped lead to *E.T.*
- Nearly a million dollars went into developing *Night Skies*.
- Its creative team also contributed to *Gremlins* and *Poltergeist*.

## Summary

Steven Spielberg nearly made *Night Skies*, an alien horror film about strange visitors terrorising a family on a rural farm. The project was abandoned, but its development helped give rise to *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*, as well as *Gremlins* and *Poltergeist*, shaping several well-known films.

The project brought together Spielberg as producer, John Sayles as screenwriter, Rick Baker as alien designer and Ron Cobb, who was expected to make his directing debut. Nearly a million dollars was spent developing it. The article, drawing on author Max Evry’s new book, describes how the project changed direction after the poor reception of Spielberg’s *1941* damaged his standing with studios.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.