What if we went back in time? In a few days, Back to the future will return to the ranks of Netflix after a disappearance of a few months. Subscribers will be able to rediscover Robert Zemeckis’ classic from January 16. But before taking a nice dose of nostalgia, we come back to some juicy anecdotes about him.
Spaceman from Pluto
Back to the Future is a name that resonates in many minds when it comes to talking about 80s classics for the whole family. However, he almost had another name. If title changes are common in Hollywood, the story of Back to the Future is quite improbable. While the writers and director had been working on this film for a long time, and had a very precise idea of its title, a producer almost called everything into question some time before filming.
Sid Sheinberg, who worked with Spielberg for a long time, was not convinced by Back to the Future. For him, it would mean nothing to future spectators. He therefore sent a note to all the creative people on the project to make his proposal. According to him, the title Spaceman from Pluto was much more appropriate. So as not to offend him, they responded by saying: “Dear Sid, thank you for your extremely funny memo. Everyone is still crying with laughter, keep it up.” And the matter was settled, Back to the Future could retain his title.
Marty McFly should not have been played by Michael Fox
Back to the Future would not be Back to the Future without his legendary duo. In 1985, when the film was released, the public began to sympathize with the young high school student and his slightly odd friend Doc Brown. The performances of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are quickly praised, the chemistry between the two actors is obvious. However, Marty McFly almost had a completely different face. If it was him who was considered from the start, the first scenes were filmed with another actor.
While the idea for Back to the Future is almost ten years old, Universal wants to launch into production. He therefore decides to call on Michael J. Fox who is officiating at the same time in the series Sacred Family. However, his schedule was too busy; the studios did not want to wait for him and decided to audition all the young actors in Hollywood.
Ben Stiller was notably considered. It was ultimately Eric Stoltz who won the role alongside Christopher Lloyd. During the first readings of the script, the young man nevertheless expressed some doubts about the ending of the film, believing that it was a tragedy. During the first week of filming, however, the teams had the impression that something was wrong. He wasn’t bad, but took the role too seriously. Michael Fox will arrive immediately to take over after six weeks of filming.
A refrigerator as a time machine
What embodies Back to the Future more than Doc Brown’s legendary DeLorean? With its OUTATIME plate, the car quickly established itself as an iconic pop culture object, which fans of the license are snapping up as a figurine. Then again, it almost never existed. Initially, Marty and Doc were supposed to travel back in time on a refrigerator. The idea was also kept during the ten years of development of the project. It was only as filming approached that the director expressed his first doubts. The idea of a car was mooted.
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Ford reportedly contacted the director to include one of its vehicles in the film. Zemeckis would have kindly refused, preferring to favor a car with a little more character. According to him, with its doors, it looked more like a spaceship. Some adjustments were necessary and were applied to three DeLoreans. Doc’s machine is born, it will mark the imagination of spectators for several generations.
It’s the bomb
The conclusion of Marty McFly’s adventures in the film is rather happy. After these adventures in the past, our hero returns to his house and finds himself facing parents who love each other again and a father who has managed to gain self-confidence. In the first version, it was thanks to an atomic bomb test that Doc Brown managed to send him home. Marty then found himself in an alternate future, inspired by the Futurama attraction at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The idea was abandoned to save time and money.
A monkey as a companion
Doc Brown may be a solitary man, but he can count on a faithful companion to accompany him in his missions and experiments. It’s poor Einstein who plays guinea pigs for the mad scientist, especially when he tests the DeLorean for the first time. In a first version of the scenario, this furry companion was to be a monkey but no one was really keen to follow this idea. According to Sid Sheinberg, movies with monkeys don’t work. The idea of a dog was therefore retained.
To discover more anecdotes about Back to the Futureand other cinema classics, you can already watch The Movie That Made Us on Netflix. The documentary series traces the journey from paper to screen of several very popular films, such as Halloween, Dirty Dancing or even SOS Fantômes.
And if not, you can see or rewatch Back to the Future on Netflix from next January 16.
Watch Back to the Future on Amazon Prime Video
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