For trivia related to the film sequels, please see the linked pages for The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter and The Neverending Story III Escape From Fantasia.
The book
- Development Hell: In 2009, Warner Bros., The Kennedy/Marshall Company and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions were in the early stages of creating another adaptation of the novel. They intended to "examine the more nuanced details of the book" rather than remake the original film by Petersen. In 2011, producer Kathleen Kennedy said that problems securing the rights to the story may mean a second adaptation is "not meant to be".
- Follow the Leader: To Peer Gynt. Bastian expies Peer Gynt on several occasions: Bastian is known for his tall tales, is called a liar, and has, like Peer, a gift of fantasy. When slipping away to Fantasia, he piles up several wishes to hide his true self, gradually losing it, and is at the end of the story, about to lose himself completely, ending up in a city of madmen. Oh, and before that, he was about to proclaim himself emperor. Like in the Cairo madhouse, the people of the city of madmen see nothing but themselves. At the end, with his memory of his human life totally gone, Atreju intervenes on behalf of him, doing the part of Solveig (replacing love with The Power of Friendship), giving Bastian the insight he needs to return home. Another similarity is the focus on a simple phrase that can be interpreted in multiple ways: "Be yourself" and "Do what you wish" for Peer Gynt and The Neverending Story respectively.
Other adaptations
- No Export for You: The German Legends of Fantastica book series, in which other authors tell some of the Another Story for Another Time stories, is not available in English.
- Vaporware: German game developer Discreet Monsters' The Real Neverending Story, which wasn't really getting anywhere even before Discreet Monsters was felled by the end of a tech bubble. The main personnel involved eventually produced a much less ambitious game, Auryn Quest.
