The writer of Back To The Future, Bob Gale, has given a blunt reaction to the idea of there ever being a fourth film.
Speaking in the press room at The Saturn Awards on Sunday (February 2), after accepting an award on behalf of the film’s 40th anniversary, Gale addressed the idea of a new adventure for Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).
“People always say, ‘When are you going to do Back to the Future 4, and we say, ‘Fuck you’” he remarked bluntly.
The original Back To The Future trilogy was released between 1985 and 1990, with the films remaining iconic to this day. There have been continuations of the story through cartoons, video games, and a stage musical, but no new films have been released since the third instalment.
Gale and the film’s director, Robert Zemeckis, have the final say on whether a sequel or remake can go into production and have been vehemently against the idea for decades at this point.
In 2020, Gale was asked by BBC News if he and Zemeckis were ever asked to make a fourth film by studios. “All the time. All the time” he replied. “’What can we do to convince you guys to do this?’ We said, ‘Nothing’. ‘You’ll make a lot of money.’ ‘We already made a lot of money’”.
He continued: “You know, you don’t sell your kids into prostitution. It was the wrong thing to do. We put ‘The End’ at the end of part three”. He also talked about star Michael J Fox’s health being a barrier to any potential sequel.
“Michael J Fox isn’t in the shape to do a movie, and nobody wants to see Marty McFly having Parkinson’s disease” he explained. “Nobody wants to see another actor playing Marty McFly if it’s supposed to be a continuation”.
Director Zemeckis remains in agreement, telling FandomWire last September that it would only likely happen when he and Gale are no longer around.
“That can’t happen until both Bob and I are dead,” he said. “And then I’m sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it. I mean, to me, that’s outrageous, especially since it’s a good movie. It’s like saying, ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane, who are we going to get to play Kane?’. What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?”
Despite this hesitance, fan casting of a modern Back To The Future film remains popular online. In 2023, a fan-made video put Spider-man actor Tom Holland in the role of Marty McFly’s son, Jake.
The post ‘Back To The Future 4’ will never happen, says writer Bob Gale appeared first on NME.
