What if the fictional Jaws 19 from Back to the Future Part II had really been made in 2015? The beloved sequel to the original Back to the Future featured plenty of humorous "predictions" of what the 21st century might look like, including the idea that the iconic Jaws franchise would still be going strong nearly 40 years after the original 1976 installment. But while the real-life Jaws series tapped out at only four films, the possibility of the series continuing all the way to Jaws 19 is, if nothing else, an interesting thought experiment.
Before the original Jaws stormed theaters in 1976 and effectively created the institution of the summer blockbuster, there were no plans to produce sequels. However, the incredible success of the first film compelled Universal to green-light a follow-up. 1978's Jaws 2 was fraught with production problems, but eventually made its money back at the box office. In 1983, Jaws 3D brought the franchise into the third dimension to mild success, and 1987's Jaws: The Revenge floundered in theaters, losing money and effectively killing the chances of a fifth film.
When Back to the Future Part II released in 1989, the idea of the Jaws franchise somehow continuing on into infinity was timely, and a joke that audiences would've definitely understood and found funny. Today, despite Jaws 19 still being fictitious, the joke has taken on a new significance as a piece of comedic commentary on Hollywood's current trend of remaking, rebooting, and producing sequels to decades-old movies. But what if Jaws 19 weren't a joke? What if such a film really existed, and had actually been released in the real 2015? Here's a look at what a hypothetical 18th sequel to the original Jaws could've been like.
Jaws 19's 2015 Cast: Who Would Star?
Determining the potential cast of Jaws 19 means looking at two things: what kind of characters the film could feature, and what big A-list actors could fit into those roles back in 2015. While little is known about the plot of Jaws 19 (the film was only a sight gag, after all), the easiest way to figure out what the characters could've been like is to look at the four Jaws films that were produced, and pick out any potential trends that might've continued into the fifth installment and beyond. The biggest of these trends by far is the inclusion of at least one member of the Brody family, with Chief Brody's sons and wife appearing as the central protagonists in all the sequels. By the time of Jaws 19, it's likely that the story would focus on the grandchild or grandchildren of Chief Martin Brody, and in 2015, the most likely actor to inhabit this role would've arguably been Chris Pratt.
In 2015, Pratt's star was still on a meteoric rise after appearing in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. The following year, Pratt was selected by Universal to headline the cast of Jurassic World, the fourth installment in their Jurassic Park film franchise. Pratt's good looks, likeability, and ability to act convincingly with CGI creatures would make him a prime candidate for playing a descendant of Chief Brody, especially since Universal (who made the Back to the Future trilogy) would also be the studio behind Jaws 19. Given Hollywood's tendency to seek out Marvel actors for non-Disney productions, the cast would likely have included other Marvel alums like Scarlett Johansson, James Spader (who would've been hot off his titular role in Avengers: Age of Ultron), or (in a nod to Deep Blue Sea) Samuel L. Jackson.
How Jaws 19's Story Would Have Changed
As previously mentioned, not much is known about what Jaws 19's plot would've been. However, a parody movie trailer released by Universal on October 5, 2015, to celebrate the upcoming October 21 "Back to the Future Day" celebrations gave audiences a funny glimpse into the story of the film. After describing the previous 18 installments, the trailer's narrator says the following: "The oceans are disappearing, and to save their home, the sharks must attack." This implies that Jaws 19 could've featured an environmental-themed plot, and likely an ecological message about the destruction of the ocean. If Jaws 19 were to have been made in the real 2015, this theme would've likely been retained.
With more focus being placed on protecting the world's oceans than ever before, a new Jaws sequel about the dangers of ruining the environment would probably play well with audiences. Of course, this so-called "plot" of the film was actually written in the real 2015, rather than back in 1989 for Back to the Future II itself, which only makes the likelihood that a real Jaws 19 would've used an environmental theme all the more likely. Perhaps Chief Brody's grandson could've been a conservationist or biologist fighting to save the seas, placing him in harm's way from both invading sharks and humans intent on destroying the animals before they reach the shore.
Would Jaws 19 Be Successful In 2015?
Given Hollywood's track record of producing sequels, it's easy to assume that a franchise like Jaws could continue to receive new, increasingly silly follow-ups. However, instances of film series reaching 19 installments are rare, and usually require a number of very specific behind-the-scenes factors to occur. Long-running franchises like James Bond (25 films) and Godzilla (a record 36 films) survived by going through periods of silliness and seriousness, throwing in new concepts while maintaining an overall sense of consistency, and rebooting multiple times for new generations. The 11-film-strong Star Wars franchise has continued thanks to new film trilogies being produced every few decades, and horror franchises like Friday the 13th and Halloween (both of which are sitting at 12 installments as of Halloween Kills) have become cult favorites where diehard viewers will show up to support every new installment.
In order for Jaws to reach 19 films while still remaining a viable, financially successful franchise, it's likely that the series would've needed at least one prolonged hiatus, multiple tonal shifts, a cult following, and likely a reboot or two. The Godzilla franchise remains the best example of this model; after 21 years and 15 films, the series ran out of steam in 1975 and took a nine-year break before coming back in 1984 to an audience starved for more monster mayhem. This rebooted series continued until 1995, and after a four-year break, a new series ran until 2004. Today, the franchise is still going strong after multiple reboots and continuing experimentations with tone and style.
If Jaws were to follow this formula, it's entirely possible that a 19th film could be successful in 2015. Assuming the series took a brief break sometime during the 90s, a hypothetical Jaws 5 could've released roughly a decade after 1987's Jaws: The Revenge to a cult audience who were excited to see the shark back in action. After several further sequels, the series might've even dipped into direct-to-video territory (a tradition of Universal with franchises like Tremors and Dragonheart) before reviving via the patented Hollywood reboot. The Jaws 19 parody trailer even confirmed that Jaws 18 was a reboot of the franchise, implying that the 19th film could've been a sequel to this reboot. If every star aligned perfectly and audiences were willing to bite, 2015 could very well have seen Jaws 19 released to big box office numbers, proving Back to the Future right and, of course, making Jaws 20 an inevitability.