In 1985, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale gave us a time-travel adventure celebrated for its tightly constructed screenplay, where seemingly small details often pay off in surprising ways. Back to the Future is widely considered a perfect movie. Yet, if you caught my recent segment on CHCH’s Trending Now, you know that behind the scenes, this cinematic masterpiece came dangerously close to never existing at all.
Back to the Future
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson, Claudia Wells, Thomas F. Wilson, Marc McClure, Wendie Jo Sperber
- Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Science Fiction
- Runtime: 116 mins
- User Rating: ★ 8.3
Before a DeLorean ever hit 88 miles per hour, the script was rejected more than 40 times by studios, production companies, and producers. In a Hollywood landscape dominated by raunchy teen comedies, Columbia Pictures thought the script was simply too sweet.
So, Zemeckis and Gale took it to the studio known for sweet, family-friendly content: Disney. However, Disney executives famously balked at the storyline involving a teenage boy traveling back in time and accidentally becoming the romantic interest of his own mother. It seemed like the movie was destined to be locked away in a drawer.
Eventually, the film was greenlit at Universal Pictures, but the biggest gamble occurred well after the cameras were already rolling. The movie we cherish today was almost completely different.
Originally, actor Eric Stoltz was cast as Marty McFly. He actually filmed for about five weeks, completely in costume and acting alongside Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson. However, the filmmakers felt the specific comedic tone of the movie just wasn’t coming through as they’d hoped. In a costly and incredibly difficult decision, the production fired Stoltz, replaced him with Michael J. Fox, and completely reshot five weeks of footage.
The catch? Fox was already committed to filming the hit sitcom Family Ties during the day. To make Back to the Future work, Fox headed to the movie set at night. For weeks, he juggled both productions on a punishing schedule, often working until the early hours of the morning, getting only a few hours of sleep before doing it all over again.
Backing up Michael J. Fox’s frantic, sleep-deprived energy was an incredible array of practical stunt work. The legendary skateboard chase through Hill Valley’s courthouse square combined practical stunt falls with carefully choreographed skateboarding. Professional skateboarders Per Welinder and Bob Schmelzer helped develop the sequence and teach the techniques, working closely alongside the film’s stunt team to pull off the iconic chase.
The film’s climax is just as impressive. For the tense clock-tower sequence, Christopher Lloyd really was suspended high above the ground in a safety harness for some of the shots. Legendary stuntman Bob Yerkes performed the dangerous slide down the cable to plug the wire back in, helping sell the sequence’s breathtaking sense of peril.
Tying all of this together is Alan Silvestri’s soaring, triumphant orchestral score; a soundtrack I still find myself humming from time to time.
That impeccable storytelling and filmmaking craftsmanship is why the movie remains a permanent cultural fixture. October 21 has become officially known globally as “Back to the Future Day,” inspired by the date Marty and Doc arrive in the future in the second film. Fans mark the occasion every year with screenings, themed events, and massive celebrations of the franchise.
That legacy has even made the jump to the stage. Back to the Future: The Musical has enjoyed a successful Broadway run, continues to entertain audiences in London’s West End, and is now touring the UK.
For me, this was one of the movies that truly cemented my passion for cinema. I have collected the trilogy across every physical format imaginable—from worn-out VHS tapes to DVDs, and now to premium 4K. I actually own two different 4K sets: the beautiful SteelBook collection, and the premium collector’s box set that came with a mini replica hoverboard that actually uses magnets to hover on my shelf.
In an era dominated by limitless digital visual effects, nothing compares to the lightning-in-a-bottle energy of a kid on a skateboard and a DeLorean leaving fire trails in a mall parking lot. Four decades later, it reminds us why we fell in love with movies in the first place—and where we’re going, we don’t need roads.
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