E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote. It tells the story of Elliott (played by Thomas), a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.
The concept for E.T. was based on an imaginary friend Spielberg created after his parents' divorce in 1960. In 1980, Spielberg met Mathison and developed a new story from the stalled science fiction/horror film project Night Skies. The film was shot from September to December 1981 in California on a budget of US$10.5 million. Unlike most motion pictures, the film was shot in roughly chronological order, to facilitate convincing emotional performances from the young cast.
Released by Universal Pictures, E.T. was a blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time —a record it held for ten years until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg-directed film, surpassed it in 1993. Critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the greatest science fiction film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes survey. The film was re-released in 1985, and then again in 2002 to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, with altered shots and additional scenes.
Casts[]
See: Category: Characters
- Dee Wallace as Mary
- Henry Thomas as Elliott
- Peter Coyote as Keys
- Robert MacNaughton as Michael
- Drew Barrymore as Gertie
- Pat Welsh as E.T.
- K.C. Martel as Greg
- Sean Frye as Steve
- Tom Howell as Tyler
- Erika Eleniak as Pretty Girl
- David O'Dell as Schoolboy
- Richard Swingler as Science Teacher
- Frank Toth as Policeman
- Robert Barton as Ultra Sound Man
- Michael Darrell as Van Man
Stunts[]
- Glenn Randall
- Fred Lerner
- Richard Butlers
- Bobby Porter
- Bennie Dobbins
- Felix Silla
- Ted Grossman
- Chuck Waters
- Keith Harvey
- Allan Wyatt
Medical Units[]
- David Berkson, M.D.
- Tom Sherry, M.D.
- David Carlberg, Ph.D.
- Susan Cameron
- Milt Kogan, M.D.
- Will Fowler, JR.
- Alexander Lampone, M.D.
- Barbara Hartnett
- Rhoda Makoff, M.D.
- Di Ann Lampone
- Robert Murphy, M.D.
- Mary Stein
- Richard Pesavento, M.D.
- Mitchell Suskin
Cancelled Sequel[]
In July 1982, during the film's first theatrical run, Spielberg and Mathison wrote a treatment for a sequel to be titled E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears. It would have shown Elliott and his friends getting kidnapped by evil aliens, and attempting to contact E.T. for help. Spielberg decided against pursuing it. E.T. is not about going back to the planet". However, on June 28, 2022, Henry Thomas said that he hopes a feature-length sequel never gets made.