In an era when it feels like remakes, reboots, and revivals have become the three pillars of Hollywood movie development, it’s refreshing to know that one movie franchise, at least, will remain untouched for many years to come. Back to the Future, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, is without question one of cinema’s most beloved trilogies, and its legacy has remained largely untouched since the end of a two-season animated series in 1992.
And it’s all because of a very well-written contract. When writer/director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale signed their original 1984 deal with Universal/Amblin Entertainment, it gave them the rights to the franchise, and thus approval over any potential BTTF movies for the rest of their lives. Because of them, Marty McFly and Doc Brown remain locked in the past, always remembered for Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd’s performances.
It’s a fact that likely annoys the execs at Universal a lot, that Zemeckis and Gale have no interest in continuing the franchise: In 2015, Zemeckis told The Telegraph that a remake of Back to the Future would only happen over their literal dead bodies. “That can’t happen until both Bob and I are dead. And then I’m sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it. I mean, to me, that’s outrageous. Especially since it’s a good movie. It’s like saying ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane. Who are we going to get to play Kane?’ What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?”
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The answer to that question, of course, is money. The same summer that Zemeckis gave that interview, Jurassic World had just revived another Steven Spielberg-produced franchise to the tune of $1,669,927,641 worldwide. And even while Zemeckis and Gale still draw breath, talks are happening about the future of BTTF — Tom Holland told BBC Radio 1 in February 2020 that he’d heard about discussions of a remake (one, to be clear, he expressed no interest in happening, as a fan of the original film).
Back to the Future hasn’t been totally spared all the indignities of being a modern-day franchise: The movie was, after all, recently adapted as a Broadway musical that’s now touring the world, with Gale’s approval (he wrote the book for the production). Reviews were mixed, though both Variety and Entertainment Weekly noted that the stage DeLorean was “awesome.”
Perhaps it’s fun to imagine a modern-day Back to the Future remake, in which a 2020s Marty McFly would get sucked back to 1995. Though just the thought of the Bill Clinton jokes inspires cringing, and also, as Zemeckis said, it doesn’t need a remake because it’s still a good movie on its own merits. The effects still hold up, the performances still sing, and maybe the kids today don’t quite get the Reagan jokes, but that’s not a big deal. In fact, the way it’s deliberately set in 1985/1955 now gives it a timeless feeling — yes, it wasn’t intended to be a period piece at the time, but now it plays as one in a way that proves quite effective.
In short, Back to the Future hardly cries out for a remake — or a sequel, either. Back to the Future Part III gives Doc Brown a pretty lovely ending, in fact: Married to the lovely and clever Clara (Mary Steenburgen), two sons, and a flying time-traveling train engine for further adventures. (Those further adventures were the basis for the animated series, in fact.) Marty’s future is left unwritten, but there’s a beauty to that too, especially after seeing one version of it in Part II. It’s not necessary for the viewer to know every detail about what’s in store for him. The original trilogy remains wonderful without it.
Perhaps the greatest value that later additions to a franchise offer is a reminder of what worked so effectively about the original movies. As one example, how many people rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark before hitting the theater to see Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny? Or maybe when they came home from the theater, they fired up Disney+ or their Blu-ray player to revisit the original magic of the 1981 classic. An active franchise is much more alive in the public imagination than a dormant one, is the annoying truth, our fractured attention spans too attracted to the shiny and new.
Yet just because there’s more of something doesn’t make it better. Thinking back on the past decade or so years of legacy sequels, it’s hard to name many that even vaguely improved the franchise via its existence. The Matrix Resurrections delighted this particular writer (mostly because this particular writer had some real beef with the ending of Revolutions), but was far from a critical or commercial success. Mad Max: Fury Road might be the most acclaimed example, and all it took was years of production and a bunch of people nearly losing their minds in the desert.
As for another example, the Creed movies do a remarkable job of continuing the Rocky spirit, but at this point feel like their own separate franchise. That’s perhaps the secret to making sure you’re still telling a fresh story within a pre-established universe — creating something original enough to stand apart from the nostalgia. However, it’s an approach that kinda goes against the idea of continuing the franchise just to give the original fans more of “what they want.”
Back to the Future’s biggest value, in this current era, is serving as an example of a franchise that remains beloved to this day without awkward offerings a few decades later. Proof that such a thing is possible, that a great movie on its level won’t ever be forgotten.
This is the way things used to work more often, at the movies: A story would be told, and then it would… end. And there was power in the ending, a message that the audience could take home with them and dwell on — a message that wasn’t enhanced by the knowledge of another sequel coming soon, or a Peacock-exclusive series about the origins of Biff. Someday, Zemeckis and Gale’s hold over the franchise will end, and Universal will get to work putting the Back to the Future IP to use. But that’s the future’s problem. I, for one, am in no rush to get there.
Stream Back to the Future now on Hulu or on VOD via Apple TV and Amazon.