E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a movie made in 1982 by Steven Spielberg . It was written by Melissa Mathison and it is a science fiction movie . E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ( often referred to as just 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 .