Tom Holland confirmed Back to the Future remake talks have happened. The 1985 blockbuster Robert Zemeckis film starred Michael J. Fox, in what was his breakout feature film performance as accidental time traveller, Marty McFly. The film’s time machine, a now iconic DeLorean, was the brainchild of eccentric scientist, Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Over the course of five years, the Back to the Future franchise was made up of three films, with the first movie, in which Marty accidentally travels back to 1955 and must find his way back home to 1985, being arguably the most beloved of the entire series. Even today, the film’s fanbase is so strong that sporadic calls by some to reboot Back to the Future are typically met with very firm resistance.

However, this opposition hasn’t stopped some creative interpretations as to who could potentially play both the Marty and Doc characters in a new version of the classic film. Earlier this month, a deepfake video emerged online in which one of Back to the Future’s famed scenes was recreated with Holland as Marty McFly and Robert Downey Jr. as Doc. The recreation was a particularly impressive one, prompting many to believe these two were perfect for a reboot.

Related: Back to the Future Director Says Another Sequel 'Can't Be Done'

Of course, the internet is home to huge arrays of suggestions, interpretations and rumors regarding sequels and reboots. Simply because they exist online does not mean they will ever make their way into actual production. In the case of a Back to the Future reboot, however, Holland admits not only has he seen the deepfake, but he was impressed with it and reboot talks have indeed occurred. And while this might be exciting news for some, Holland stops short of saying that a Back to the Future reboot will actually happen. The Spider-Man star revealed this news during an interview with BBC Radio 1, when he said:

I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been conversations in the past about doing some sort of remake, but that film is the most perfect film- or one of the most perfect films, one that could never be made better. That said, if [Robert Downey Jr.] and I could just shoot that one scene that they remade for fun - he could pay for it cause he’s got loads of money - I would do it for my fee and we could remake that scene. I think we owe it to deep fake because they did such a good job. … I think I’m gonna speak to Robert and see if we can try to recreate something for deep fake.

Back to the Future Marty McFly Jennifer Doc Brown

It’s very interesting (and likely troubling to many) that Back to the Future remake talks have actually occurred. However, before diehard fans get too stressed, Holland’s respect for the original film and his acknowledgement that it remains one of the most perfect films and that it could never be made better, is assurance enough that he won’t be joining a reboot any time soon. This certainly doesn’t confirm there won’t be a Back to the Future remake, but for now, it seems like Holland isn’t quite interested in taking part in one. At the very least, Holland admits he is interested in properly remaking the Back to the Future deepfake scene alongside Downey Jr., though that appears to be more tongue in cheek humor than any sort of legitimate promise. Holland was also previously linked to a reboot of another classic 1980s film: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, back in 2018 when filmmaker Edgar Wright claimed to be working on an updated version. We now know this was little more than an April Fool’s prank, but for many, Holland seems to be the go-to actor for taking on iconic roles in rebooted films.

As far as reboots go, some films seem to lend themselves to the process better than others. For its part, Back to the Future has managed to engage with audiences in a way that very few films are able to. Holland’s assessment that Back to the Future is perfect is a widely held belief and because of this, there really doesn’t seem to be any reason the film needs to be remade. But as we all know, a need to be remade doesn’t always enter into the equation. There’s no telling if a Back to the Future remake will ever see the light of day, but for now at least, the only place supporters of the idea are likely to see Holland as Marty McFly is in the aforementioned deepfake.

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Source: BBC Radio 1