Intended as a sequel to Close Encounters, Night Skies began in the 1970s and eventually became E.T.

I was a real UFO devotee in the 1970s, and really into the UFO phenomenon from reading.

For me, it was science.

I had no ability to comprehend, Spielberg later recalled.

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Unsurprisingly, Columbia wanted Spielberg to make a sequel.

Theres Hoodoo, who appears to have hypnotic powers.

The horses viscera are exposed.

Skars claws are extended like a tigers, tinged with blood.

He looks up at Ed calmly…

Curiously, however, the scripts numerous moments of humor undercut the horror.

One scene has a grandmother fending off an alien with a broom.

Steven used a lot of my suggestions.

I was very flattered.

How many people does that happen to?

Steven Spielberg wants me to direct a movie.

Ive never directed a movie in my life, and Steven Spielberg wants me to direct a movie!

I said, Steven, I dont know if I can direct.

Spielbergs response was simple: Get yourself an agent.

While Sayles was working on his script, special effects designer Rick Baker was busy designing its various aliens.

Over in North Africa, however, clouds began to form around the project.

One of the visitors to the set ofRaiderswas Harrisons girlfriend and future wife,The Black Stallionscreenwriter Melissa Mathison.

And Me, and completed a draft of the script in just eight weeks.

Columbia Pictures, however, was less than enamored with this cutesier spin-off from theNight Skiesconcept.

Nevertheless, Spielberg stuck to his goal of making what would becomeE.T.

InE.T.,you could still see the faintest traces of the ideas found in the earlierNight Skiesscript.

Yet these are clearly inspirations for more developed ideas that would be fleshed out inE.T.

The Extra-Terrestrial,as Sayles himself later admitted.

I thought [Mathison] had done a great job.

Whats more surprising is how so many little fragments fromNight Skiesended up in other movies.

The Extra-Terrestrial).

Poltergeistis what I fear andE.T.is what I love, Spielberg said.

Heres an excerpt from the treatment, written by Spielberg and Mathison:

The evil creatures are carnivorous.

Their leader, Korel, commands his crew to disperse into the forest to acquire food.

These creatures are an albino fraction (mutation) of the same civilization E.T.

The two separate groups have been at war for decades!

The Extra-Terrestrialwill stand on its own.

In the aftermath ofNight Skies, John Sayles continued to enjoy a successful career as both writer and director.

But for Cobb, whod long struggled as an artist, there was a silver lining to theNight Skiesdisappointment.