After the huge success of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg wanted to do something more low-key and heartwarming. He proposed a movie called Growing Up, which was inspired by his teen years. The movie was shelved, but the idea stuck with him. Columbia pictures demanded a sequel to Close Encounters, and Spielberg wanted nothing to do with it. He was however fascinated by what would happen if an alien didn’t go back to the mothership at the end of that film. He commissioned writer/director John Sayles to write Night Skies, the story of a family terrorized by aliens while one befriend’s the son.

The project turned out to be too dark for Spielberg’s taste, so he just had Columbia re-release Close Encounters with extra scenes included. He then combined Night Skies with Growing Up and created the masterpiece we know and love today, ET: the Extra Terrestrial.