Back to the Future trilogy co-writer explains why there will never be a Back to the Future 4. Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future franchise cemented itself as a global phenomenon since the first film's release in 1985. Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) time-traveling adventures with his scientist friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) in his DeLorean time machine had a significant effect on pop culture and is still often referenced in movies and TV shows today.
Since the third film's release in 1990, many fans have wondered about a fourth installment. All three films were box office successes, with Back to the Future Part II widely regarded as one of the best sequels of all time. While many believe a fourth film would not be able to live up to the trilogy, there has been discussion for a while among fans about the possibility of a continuation. Tom Holland even revealed that talks of a reboot or a remake have occurred at one point. However, with Fox semi-retired from acting since his diagnosis of Parkinson's, the likelihood of a reboot was pretty slim. Now, it's confirmed that it will never be made.
In an interview with Collider, Back to the Future co-writer Bob Gale says that Back to the Future Part IV will never happen. Gale explains that while a fourth installment has been a desire for both fans and higher-ups, the story does not need to be continued. Read Gale's answer below:
"We told a complete story with the trilogy. If we went back and made another one, we’d have Michael J. Fox, who will be sixty next year, and he has Parkinson’s Disease. Do we want to see Marty McFly at age sixty with Parkinson’s Disease? Did we want to see him at age fifty with Parkinson’s Disease? I would say ‘No, you don’t want to see that.’ And you don’t want to see Back to the Future without Michael J. Fox. People say, ‘Well, do it with somebody else.’ Really? Who are you going to get? All you’re gonna do is beg comparisons to the originals, and you’re not going to match up. And we’ve seen this repeatedly with sequels that go back to the well after many, many years, and they go ‘Ah, well, The Phantom Menace, maybe my life would have been better if I hadn’t seen it.’ There are a lot of extra sequels like that. We didn’t want to be those guys who did a movie that was basically a moneygrab. Universal says to us, ‘You’d guys would make a whole lot of money,’ but we’re like, ‘Well, we’ve already made a whole lot of money with these movies, and we like them just the way they are. And as proud parents, we’re not going to sell our kids into prostitution.’
We have an understanding with Spielberg and Amblin that there would never be another Back to the Future movie without our blessing or being involved," said Gale. "So, it's not going to happen."
The stars of Back to the Future have also previously expressed disinterest in a fourth film. Cast members Claudia Wells and James Tolkan stated that they were content with the three films as they stand. Though there are no chances of a film reboot, the story was adapted into a stage musical written by Zemeckis and Gale, which premiered earlier this year before closing after a few weeks of performances due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It's both admirable and unique that Gale and Zemeckis are refusing to consider another sequel or a reboot. It's often the case that fans end up getting their way when it comes to asking for more of something, whether it's good or not. It's hard to imagine what a fourth Back to the Future film would have looked like, but now that fans officially know it will never happen, they can enjoy the timeless classics that are the three films.
Source: Collider