Required Reading: "The Greatest Sci-fi Movies Never Made" by David Hughes

This is required reading for us not only because it details why a lot of flicks didn't get made, but also how a lot of sequels wound up being what they are.

Fans of the Alien and Star Trek films in particular need to get a hold of this book. Those series' production background provide some of the most compelling chapters. Along the way you'll also hear about the aborted Alejandro Jodorwsky take on Dune, as well as get an in-depth as to how Spielberg's "Dark Skies", a proposed horror-filled sequel to his hit "Close Encounters of the Thrid Kind" wound up becoming two of the all-time greatest films of the 80s: "Poltergeist" and "E.T."

Any fan of genre films must own this book. You can pick up the updated edition via Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Sci-fi-Movies-Revised-Updated/dp/1845767551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288980567&sr=1-1