As soon as the first Back to the Future movie hit theaters, it became an instant hit. With Golden Globe and Oscar nominations, it ended up winning several awards and quickly became a classic. The franchise broke records, was seen as a milestone in the sci-fi genre, got a Broadway musical, might get a spinoff, and is still loved by many today. Even younger generations get hooked on the iconic time-travel story. Back to the Future is just one of those movies you have to watch at least once in your life, and it never loses its magic.
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This year, the first film turns 40, and not many people know what it really took to bring the story to life. Among all the interesting behind-the-scenes facts, some stand out and show how the production was packed with challenges – and even a few surprises.
The First Movie Had a Different Ending
Coming up with a good ending is never easy, and Back to the Future was no exception – it went through several changes during production. What we saw on screen was completely different from the original idea, which had George McFly (Crispin Glover), in the ’80s, finding a 1955 newspaper showing his son Marty (Michael J. Fox) playing “Johnny B. Goode” at the school dance. Shocked, he would start to say, “It can’t be. But it is…” – and that’s where the movie would end.
That would’ve been a pretty interesting ending, leaving things open-ended in a fun and creative way while also setting up a possible sequel. The exact reason for the change isn’t clear, but it’s known that the idea of a flying DeLorean was something director Robert Zemeckis threw in as a kind of joke. However, if he thought that meant closing the door on a sequel, he was definitely wrong.
There Were No Plans for a Franchise
Back to the Future has cemented its place as one of the most iconic franchises of all time – but that was never the original plan. The ending, even though it worked as a joke and left room for a sequel, was actually meant to wrap up the story nicely. Their trip to the future was just a fun way to play around with the idea of having a time machine in the garage. If you’ve seen the movie on home video, you probably noticed the “To be continued” message at the end, but that wasn’t there in theaters – it was only added later in the VHS release.
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A lot of people assumed that Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale had always planned for sequels, but Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III only happened because of the unexpected success of the first film. There are actually a few clues that prove this, as the writers later admitted – like Jennifer’s (Elisabeth Shue) role in the story.
The Script Was Different for Time Travel
The heart of Back to the Future is time travel, with the DeLorean as its iconic time machine. But originally, that wasn’t the plan – Marty and Doc Brown (Christopher Llyod) had a completely different way of getting the boy back to the future. The idea involved a complex break-in at a nuclear power plant, where they would try to steal plutonium to power the time machine. This was a far cry from what we actually got – the thrilling scene where Doc climbs the clock tower to harness a lightning bolt. And believe it or not, the movie wasn’t even supposed to be called Back to the Future – the original title was “Spaceman From Pluto.” Thankfully, producer Steven Spielberg stepped in and shut that down.
The whole nuclear power plant sequence was scrapped because they felt it didn’t really fit the movie. Plus, Gale later revealed that they had also considered writing in a nuclear explosion that would wipe out the surrounding city – an idea that was quickly abandoned due to its massive cost. And if that wasn’t wild enough, the time machine wasn’t even going to be a DeLorean at first – it was supposed to be a refrigerator. Safe to say, that wouldn’t have worked nearly as well.
The Franchise Faced Behind-the-Scenes Problems
Making a movie happen is never simple, especially when so many people are involved in the process. Unforeseen events and disagreements are bound to arise, and Back to the Future has its share of them. One of the controversies during production involved actress Melora Hardin, who was supposed to play Marty’s girlfriend in the first film. At just 17 years old, she was let go after expressing discomfort with director Zemeckis’ direction, citing creative differences.
Actor Crispin Glover, who portrayed George McFly, had both contractual and creative disagreements. As a result, we don’t see him in the second and third films. To work around this, Jeffrey Weissman was brought in to imitate the character’s mannerisms and resemble the original actor, with the help of prosthetics. Glover took legal action, arguing that this was an unauthorized use of his likeness, and he ended up suing the producers. While he received a settlement, the whole experience had a lasting negative impact on his career.
The Timing of a Scene Matches Doc Brown’s Dialogue
One of the things that makes Back to the Future so special is its insane attention to detail. A perfect example of this happens in the very first movie, during the scene where Doc Brown tells Marty exactly when lightning will strike the clock tower. He gives him a window of 7 minutes and 22 seconds to get back to the future. And here’s the cool part – if you actually time it, the lightning hits exactly 7 minutes and 22 seconds after Doc’s instruction.
It’s little things like this that make Back to the Future stand out. The movie isn’t just loved for its story – it’s also packed with details that show how much thought went into every single scene. These tiny but brilliant touches don’t just make the script feel flawless, they also make the whole experience even more immersive.
The Story Got Rejected Several Times
When the idea for Back to the Future first came up, Columbia Pictures showed interest in the script – but ended up rejecting it. Hoping to find a way forward, Zemeckis and Gale took it to Steven Spielberg, who absolutely loved it. “It was a very unusual story, but based on old-fashioned principles like family and coming of age, and dreams, and desires, and the generation gap. It was really terrific,” he said, according to All the Right Movies.
The filmmaker offered to have Amblin Entertainment produce it, but Zemeckis and Gale didn’t want to be seen as guys who only got their movies made because of a famous friend. So, the script made the rounds in Hollywood, getting rejected a whopping 44 times before Universal picked it up. Some studios called it “too sweet,” “too incestuous,” and even claimed time travel movies don’t make money. Ironic, isn’t it?
Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd Almost Didn’t Star in the Franchise
There’s no Back to the Future without Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd – everyone agrees on that. They’re the faces of the franchise, but when casting started, one of them had scheduling conflicts, and the other turned down the role when he first saw the script.
Fox was Zemeckis’ first choice for Marty, but at the time, he was busy with the sitcom Family Ties and wasn’t released to make the movie (that’s why you can find scenes with Eric Stoltz floating around online). John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, Ralph Macchio, and Johnny Depp also auditioned, but none of them landed the part. Eric Stoltz was cast and even worked on the film for a month, but was ultimately cut from the project. Zemeckis didn’t give up, though, and eventually, Fox was released, but only if he didn’t interfere with filming the sitcom. The actor ended up working on both shows, getting just three hours of sleep per night, and juggling two sets for two months.
As for Lloyd, his story was a little different. He initially hated the plot. Producer Neil Canton recommended him for Doc Brown, but Lloyd, aiming to be a serious actor, tossed the script aside, thinking Back to the Future wouldn’t help his career. Zemeckis had to convince him by sharing his vision for the character. Eventually, when Lloyd warmed up to the idea, he suggested combining Albert Einstein’s quirks with conductor Leopold Stokowski’s mannerisms for Doc’s personality – a concept the director immediately loved.
Back to the Future is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
