‘Back to the Future’ at 40: Scrapped Storylines That Could Have Changed Everything
It’s considered one of the greatest time travel films of all time, and remains just as beloved, four decades after its release, as it was when audiences first saw Marty McFly play guitar at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. But Back To The Future, which opened in theaters on July 3, 1985, was almost vastly different from the sci-fi landmark that shattered global box office records upon its release.
How different? Read on to find out which actor had to be convinced to take his starring role, what item was almost used as a time machine instead of the DeLorean, and why it almost had a truly terrible title.
Hey, (Other) McFly!
Director Robert Zemeckis described the firing of Eric Stoltz, the original actor cast as Marty McFly, as the hardest decision he’s ever had to make. But even though Michael J. Fox was always the first choice to play the young lead, other Hollywood hopefuls auditioned. Can you imagine a timeline where Say Anything‘s John Cusack, Platoon‘s Charlie Sheen, The Outsiders‘ C. Thomas Howell, or fresh-faced Karate Kid Ralph Macchio played the lovable Marty McFly? Each of them at one point auditioned for the role.
Great Scott — Who’s the Doc?
MCA/Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection.
In a reversal of fortunes, while Michael J. Fox pined for the role of Marty, Christopher Lloyd, in pursuit of a career as a serious actor, refused the part, and had to be convinced by Zemeckis. The director allowed the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest star to base the wild-haired character of Doc on a combination of Albert Einstein and composer Stokowski.
When you consider how perfectly cast the role of Doc Brown would be, it may come as a shock that Third Rock From The Sun star John Lithgow was first choice for the role, whilst multiple stars, including Robin Williams (freshly off Mork and Mindy), and National Lampoon’s Vacation‘s John Candy were at one time considered as well.
Remake, reboot, or sequel? Over their dead body (literally)
Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
Almost all film fans have known the heartbreak of a rebooted classic. Hollywood has a habit of remaking hit films from the past, typically devastating OG fans in the process. While other beloved blockbusters like Ghostbusters, Halloween, and The Crow got the reboot resuscitation, Zemeckis, and co-writer Bob Gale have stated that while they live, no one will tamper with the legacy of the trilogy. (Though in 2024, Zemeckis did say he’d be open to remaking the movie … as a musical.)
You built a time machine out of a … fridge?
Everett Collection.
In the original draft, the iconic time machine wasn’t a DeLorean — it wasn’t even a car. Initially, the Doc and Marty jumped through the decades using a time chamber; later, they used a 1950s-style fridge. However, producer Steven Spielberg, fearing that children recreating the scene at home would trap themselves in old fridges and suffocate to death, urged Zemeckis and co to change it. They did, giving us one of the coolest images in all of 1980s cinema in the process.
Back to the … spaceship?
Lloyd’s energetic delivery of the film’s title line has come to be one of its most beloved moments. But not everybody at the studio loved the film’s title. Sid Sheinberg, CEO of Universal Studios and the film’s executive producer, attempted to change the film’s title to … Spaceman From Pluto. However, Spielberg defused the situation by sending him this legendary reply: ‘Sid, thanks for your most humorous memo. We all got a big kick out of it. Thanks, Steven.’ Sheinberg never replied.
Plutonium? Are you telling me this sucker’s nuclear?
The film’s conclusion was originally set in a nuclear power plant in Nevada, with Marty being forced to drive through a nuclear explosion in order to be transported back to 1985. However, this proved financially expensive and a logistical nightmare; and so instead, Marty’s journey home would be powered by the Hill Valley lightning strike — which led to the unforgettable clock-tower ending, which paid gracious homage to Harold Lloyd‘s 1923 silent classic Safety Last!.
Back to the Future One (and done)
Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
Despite becoming one of the most beloved trilogies of all time, Back to the Future was not planned as a trilogy, or even with an initial sequel in mind. In the DVD commentary, Robert Zemeckis revealed that he simply added the ending of the original film as a joke. The director, who only had a handful of films under his belt at the time, had no greater ambition than the film simply recouping its budget.
More money — more sequels
Of course, the film did much more than recoup its $19m budget — it earned $389m at the worldwide box-office, won an Oscar, for Best Sound Effects Editing, alongside a nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and yielded two sequels, video games, an animated series, a smash hit musical that spent two years on Broadway.
Little did he know that not only would the film recoup its budget, it would become one of the most successful and lucrative films of all time, earning $389m at the worldwide box-office on a $19m budget, Oscar nominations and a timeless franchise that includes a current Broadway smash hit musical.
Not too bad for a film that was rejected 44 times before being given the studio green light.
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Summer Blockbusters
June 2025
'Jaws' made us afraid of the water, 'Star Wars' took us light years away and Marty McFly took us back to 1955. Flashback to these classic Summer Blockbusters.
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