The list of franchises that can genuinely be deemed safe from reboots, remakes, prequels, reimaginings, legacy sequels, requels, and all the rest of the ways Hollywood has devised to continue cannibalizing its own back catalogue grows shorter by the day, but we can always sleep soundly in the knowledge that Back to the Future will remain untouched.
Director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale made the wise, prescient, and ultimately merciful decision to retain control of the rights, with the Bobs making it perfectly clear on any number of occasions that the very earliest a grubby studio executive can even contemplate bringing Marty McFly and Doc Brown to the screen is when they’re buried deep in the cold, cold ground.
And yet, Back to the Future remains as perennially popular as it ever was, which is in no small part due to its status as one of cinema’s most universally-beloved and accomplished franchises, which would have absolutely had a fourth installment or remake by now had anyone other than Zemeckis and Gale been steering the ship.
In fact, in an interview with Variety at the premiere of the new musical, Gale quadrupled down on his stance with an analogy that all of Hollywood should treat as gospel.
“People say, “Why don’t you guys do Back to the Future Part 4?” When they say that, they’re saying, “I want something that makes me feel as good as the original did.” That’s what this is. That’s the feeling you’re going to get here when you see this show. There’s no need to go back to that well. You’ve seen too many people go back too many times. As I’ve said many times, the characters in Back to the Future are my family, my children. You don’t sell your kids into prostitution.”
That’s about as definitive a “no chance” as you’ll ever hear, with Back to the Future ironclad as the Holy Grail of properties that you won’t be seeing on your screen with a fresh coat of paint.
Published: Jul 28, 2023 02:06 am