WhenBack to the Futuredebuted in 1985,Michael J. Foxwas propelled into super stardom. The sci-fi adventure became the year’s highest-grossing movie and was beloved by audiences and critics alike. Before portraying the film’s protagonist Marty McFly, Fox was best known for his role inFamily Ties.Following Back to the Future, Fox went on to star in the film’s sequels and in popular 1980s films likeTeen Wolf, Secret of My Success, andCasualties of War.
Given the film franchise’s success and the rising number of popular 1980s and 1990s films and series receiving the reboot treatment, one could see the appeal in revisitingBack to the Future. However, in a recent conversation withVariety, Fox was not thrilled with the concept: “I’m not fanatical. Do what you want. It’s your movie. I got paid already,” he said. Fox elaborates that he doesn’t think the film needs to be reimagined in any way, and adds that he believes that director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale understand that: “I don’t think it needs to be. I think Bob and Bob have been really smart about that. I don’t think it needs rebooting because are you going to clarify something? You’re going to find a better way to tell the story? I doubt it.”
During his conversation with the publication, Fox also shared that he had never been asked to reprise the role of Marty McFly following 1990’sBack to the Future Part III: “I’m sure somebody thought about it. But I was in the early stages of Parkinson’s at that point, so I don’t know that I would have wanted to take that on. Right after ‘Part Three’ had done well, there might have been conversations about it, but I never got involved in them.”
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991 when he was 29. His struggles with the illness and his ongoing advocacy efforts are the topic ofStill, a new documentary by Davis Guggenheim. Guggenheim says he was inspired by Fox’s memoirs and the “universal story” of dealing with hardship. The film premiered on Apple TV+ last week.
Related:Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim Discusses Inspiration for Still: A Michael J. Fox Story
Michael J. Fox’s Back to the Future Performance
Back to the Futurestarred Fox as Marty McFly, a teenager whose best friend, Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd), invents a time machine. When Marty accidentally ends up 30 years in the past, his existence becomes threatened as his mother, Lorraine (Lea Thompson), develops a crush on him. The film also starred Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson.
Fox toldEmpirethat he only recently realized that he had done a good job in the film: “I saw it back when it came out, at the Cinerama Dome, which was insanity, then I hadn’t seen it in its entirety until a couple of years ago. It was Christmas. We were decorating the tree… I went to go get something from the kitchen and I was gone quite a while. Tracy came and found me and I was watching TV. I said, ‘Look, Back to the Future’s on TV! You know what, I’m really good in this!’ She said, ‘Yeah, we know.’ ‘Well, why didn’t you tell me?!'”
The film is a mainstay in American pop culture, and although Fox is not on board for a reboot, the film franchise has been revisited in recent years. To commemorate the first film’s 30th anniversaryDoc Brown Saves the Worldwas released in 2015.The short film feature Lloyd as Doc as he travels to the future to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.In 2020, a musical production, also titledBack to the Futureand written by Zemeckis and Gale, debuted at England’s Manchester Opera House to positive reviews.
