Steven Spielberg put the kibosh on ‘E.T.’ sequel back when he 'didn't have any rights'

Director Steven Spielberg is speaking out about why he didn't make a sequel to his 1982 classic, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

"I flirted with it for a little bit — just a little bit to see if I [could] think of a story — and the only thing I could think about was a book that was written by somebody that wrote the book for it called ‘The Green Planet,’ which was all going to take place at E.T.’s home," he said, referencing William Kotzwinkle's 1985 publication, which continued E.T.'s story from the 1982 blockbuster. Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer and LinkedIn. Story tips can be sent to caroline.thayer@fox.com.

"We were all going to be able to go to E.T.’s home and see how E.T. lived. But it was better as a novel than I think it would have been as a film."