Nobody remembers Steven Spielberg's weirdest sci-fi sequel — not even Spielberg himself

This story is technically canon, even if it shouldn't be In a recent interview for the Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Joshua Horowitz asked Steven Spielberg, “Did Elliott ever see E.T. again?” Spielberg’s answer was “No,” but that Elliott did dream about E.T. thanks to a psychic connection the extraterrestrial forged with the boy. This, however, contradicts Spielberg’s own, officially sanctioned — if long forgotten — sequel for his 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet is a 1985 novel by William Kotzwinkle, who also wrote the official novelization of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The book begins just after the movie ends and follows E.T. to his home planet Brodo Asogi, more commonly referred to as “The Green Planet.” Once he arrives, E.T. is questioned about his time on Earth. In a surprise twist, rather than be celebrated for adventure, E.T. loses his prestigious job as a plant biologist and is demoted to a lowly farmer. Then, much like E.T. longed to return home in the film, he spends the majority of the book spying on Elliott back on Earth and trying to figure out a way to rejoin him. Eventually, he plots to steal a spaceship and reunite with E

Jun 13, 2026 → Jun 13, 2026