For 40 years now, Back to the Future has remained one of the most beloved films of all time. Characters like Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown remain iconic, as does the DeLorean time machine. Although Back to the Future spawned two follow-up films, don’t ever expect another sequel, reboot, or spin-off. At least not according to original screenwriter Bob Gale. According to a report in Variety, while at Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood, Gale was asked again about the franchise continuing on. And his answer was a big fat NO. Here’s what he had to say:
I don’t know why they keep talking about that! I mean, do they think that if they say it enough times, we’re going to actually do it? I mean, it’s like they know in every interview people say, ‘Oh Bob, when is there going to be a “Back to the Future 4”?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a prequel?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a spinoff?’ Never. It’s just fine the way it is. It’s not perfect, but as Bob Zemeckis used to say, ‘It’s perfect enough.’
Gale also credited Back to the Future producer Steven Spielberg for keeping Universal from continuing the franchise in any way, using the same pressure he used to ensure that E.T. never got a sequel, something he couldn’t do for Jaws. Given the massive amount of fans of all ages who showed up in Back to the Future cosplay for Fan Fest Night, it’s positively astonishing that the film has retained this level of cultural relevancy without a single new film or TV spinoff in 35 years. It’s hard to think of anything comparable. Of course, there has been one successful spin-off, of a sort. And that is the Broadway musical, currently touring the globe. The question remains, how long can Gale, Zemeckis, and Spielberg keep Universal from turning that into a movie?
Content shared from nerdist.com.