‘Back to the Future’ Co-Writer Bob Gale Responds to the New Sequel Question

Bob Gale, the screenwriter behind the iconic sci-fi adventure franchise Back to the Future, has shared his take on the possibility of a sequel. Gale, who co-wrote the first film with Robert Zemeckis and then took care of the rest by himself, candidly says “F*ck you” to all those who keep asking. Is that clear? Or do you need one of Doc Brown’s awesome exposition dumps to get it through your head?

The writer joined Christopher Lloyd (Emmett “Doc” Brown) and Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines McFly, aka Marty’s mom) at the Saturn Awards to talk about the legacy of the franchise. Per the report by Collider, Gale is in tune with what Zemeckis and others have said in the past:

“People always say ‘when are you guys going to do Back to the Future 4?’ And we say ‘F*ck you.’ And you can quote me on this.”

Created by Gale and Zemeckis, and with the full support of executive producer Steven Spielberg during his run as Hollywood’s wiz kid in the 1980s, Back to the Future was a massive hit. It made over $381 million at the box office from a production budget of $19 million with a chunk of the budget going towards reshoots after Eric Stoltz was replaced by Michael J. Fox.

It was the most successful film of 1985 and received four Academy Award nominations, where it won for Best Sound. Curiously, the groundbreaking visual effects were not recognized with an Oscar nomination. Additionally, home video sales and rentals were also a home run, with the movie breaking the record for the most-rented VHS tape of 1986.

After Back to the Future became a major hit, Universal Pictures began asking Gale and Zemeckis for a sequel. Initially, the creative duo behind the time-travel movie didn’t like the idea. They felt that a sequel could affect the legacy that the first film had built. But after a few discussions, they were convinced to do Back to the Future Part II. Mainly because Universal Pictures would have gone forward without them, and the “To Be Continued” caption had already been placed at the end of the movie in the home release.

‘Back to the Future’ is One of the Few Blockbuster Franchises Without a Legacy Sequel or Remake

Ironically, Zemeckis and Gale not only agreed to do one, but two sequels. Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III were shot back-to-back and released on November 22, 1989, and May 25, 1990, respectively, and both were also successful at the box office. The third film ended things beautifully, making it unnecessary to revisit the characters or their stories. And nothing followed after that. Well, at least no movies were made.

Back to the Future: The Musical premiered in 2020. Written by Gale, and using music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri (original composer of the films) and Glen Ballard, the live musical was considered a wonderful tribute to the films. It even features the recreation of the famous DeLorean on stage.

In fact, it’s what Gale often uses as a response when fans ask about a fourth Back to the Future movie. This is what he said to Collider:

“We made three terrific movies and people kept asking for more ‘Back to the Future,’ so we made ‘Back to the Future: The Musical,’ which Chris and Lea have attended on several occasions.”

In times when the film industry seems to rely on old IPs being sucked dry without mercy, a new sequel to Back to the Future would be a huge deal. It would probably feature a whole new cast, and the concept is strong enough to adapt to a modern story. It sounds awful, but perhaps it’s just a matter of time until someone at Universal Pictures pushes enough and finds a loophole in order to make Back to the Future Part IV.

Back to the Future

Summary

Back to the Future is a 1985 American science fiction adventure comedy film. It is directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of Marty McFly, a teenager who is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955. He meets his future-parents in high school and accidentally attracts his future mother’s romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents-to-be to fall in love, and with the help of scientist Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown, he must find a way to return to 1985.

Zemeckis and Gale wrote the script after Gale mused upon whether he would have befriended his father if they attended school together. Various film studios rejected the script until the financial success of Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone. Zemeckis approached Spielberg and the project was planned to be financed and released through Universal Pictures. Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly when Michael J. Fox was busy filming the TV series Family Ties. However, during filming, Stoltz and the filmmakers decided that he was miscast, so Fox was approached again and he managed to work out a timetable in which he could give enough time and commitment to both.

Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985 and became the most successful film of the year, grossing more than $383 million worldwide and receiving very positive reviews. It won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, as well as Academy Awards, and Golden Globe nominations among others. Ronald Reagan even quoted the film in his 1986 State of the Union Address.[2][3] In 2007, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in June 2008 the American Film Institute’s special AFI’s 10 Top 10 acknowledged the film as the 10th-best film in the science fiction genre. The film marked the beginning of a franchise, with sequels Back to the Future Parts II and III released in 1989 and 1990, as well as an animated series, theme park ride and several video games.

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