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

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.