Back to the Future is arguably one of the greatest movies of the '80s and in Hollywood history. Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the film tells the story of a teenage boy who accidentally travels back in time at the hands of his scientist best friend and winds up possibly changing the course of time for his parents during their high school days.
The film was followed by two sequels, an animated series, and a ride at Universal Studios, but it wasn't always smooth sailing for the franchise. There are plenty even big fans of the films may not know, including which star from The Office almost starred in the movie, the film's alternate ending, and the unexpected Disney character cameo.
'Space Man from Pluto'
The title Back to the Future offers an intriguing juxtaposition, letting viewers question how one can go back to the future. It all makes sense throughout the film, but it almost had a title that didn't fit the movie at all, Screen Rant reports.
Former CEO of Universal Studios Sidney Sheinberg sent a memo to filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis suggesting they change the film's name to Space Man From Pluto, noting he believed the new title had heat and originality. Unconvinced, Speilberg politely replied and thanked Sheinberg for the joke.
Several Notable Actors Read For Marty McFly
Michael J. Fox was the desired actor to play Marty McFly from the start, but Fox's commitment to his sitcom Family Ties originally made him turn down what would become his most famous role. Because of this, a whole audition process went underway.
Several notable actors read for the role, including Ben Stiller, Charlie Sheen, and Johnny Depp, but one, in particular, stands out. It was right after the success of The Karate Kid that Ralph Macchio was considered for the role of Marty, the actor told People. It would have made for an interesting choice considering Macchio's on-screen Karate Kid love interest Elisabeth Shue, played Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer, in Back to the Future II and III.
Melora Hardin Almost Played Jennifer
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Melora Hardin is best known for her role as Jan Levinson-Gould, the Dunder Mifflin head who sometimes doubles as Michael Scott's secret lover on NBC's hit show The Office. But long before she was overseeing paper sales, Hardin almost scored a key role in Back to the Future.
Hardin, who was then known for roles on shows like Secrets of Midland Heights and Thunder, was the original choice to play Jennifer opposite Eric Stoltz as Marty. Once Stoltz was replaced by Fox, the production ultimately decided to replace Hardin because she was much taller than Fox, and they worried it "emasculated the lead character," as Hardin admitted to Page Six.
The Original Time Machine
Aside from a clock tower and a hoverboard, the most symbolic icon of the Back to the Future films is The DeLorean. Although the unique car had only been out for a few years prior, it's the sci-fi film that rose it to fame, being chosen for the way its rising doors looked like wings and could be easily mistaken for a UFO.
But The DeLorean wasn't the first choice. Before landing on the vehicle that would forever be associated with the movie, the writers first considered having a refrigerator as the time machine, a spin on "freezing time." The next choice was a Ford Mustang, which was instead used for Back to the Future II as the hover-car Marty spots when he travels to the year 2015.
Crispin Glover's Lawsuit
Just after appearing alongside Michael J. Fox in an episode of Family Ties, Crispin Glover scored the role of George McFly in Back to the Future. But despite Glover's loveable performance in the film, when it came time to shoot the sequel, the actor was not asked back to reprise the role.
But rather than recasting the character, the film chose to not only use old footage of Glover from the first movie but use an actor to appear in his likeness. This decision didn't sit well with Glover, who filed a lawsuit against the studio over using his likeness, Ranker reports, and it later led to future Screen Actors Guild contracts adding clauses about personality rights.
Roger Rabbit's Cameo
Back to the Future was playing the Easter egg game long before Pixar. In Back to the Future II, when Marty happens upon the antique store window, a Roger Rabbit doll can be seen among the memorabilia. Later, when Biff chases Marty through a tunnel, it's the same tunnel used for the entrance to Toontown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
These Easter eggs were thrown into the film because Robert Zemeckis directed Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which came out a year before Back to the Future II. The Disney film also starred Christopher Lloyd as Judge Doom, who notably played Doc Brown in the sci-fi trilogy.
Einstein The Chimp
A somewhat underrated character from Back to the Future is Doc's pooch, Einstein. The sheepdog is the first being to ever time travel after his owner sits him in The DeLorean and sends him one minute into the future during a test run of his time machine.
But before they hired Tiger, a sheepdog, to portray Einstein, it was almost an entirely different animal that got sent to the future, according to Screen Rant, In the original script, it was a chimpanzee named Shemp, but Sidney Sheinberg requested it change to a dog because he claimed no movie that featured a chimpanzee ever made money.
Behind The Scenes Of "Johnny B. Goode"
It's one of the most iconic scenes in the entire film that always has everyone singing along. When Marty winds up performing with the band during the Enchantment Under The Sea dance, he goes from playing slow jams to rock 'n roll when he unexpectedly whacks out his guitar talent and performs Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode."
But shooting the scene didn't go as smoothly as it looked, Michael J. Fox told Empire. While Fox learned some guitar to appear like he was playing well, Mark Campbell provided the vocals for the actor to dub. The scene also almost had to scrap "Johnny B. Goode" entirely due to not getting permission from Berry to use it, but the rockstar came through in the end and gave the film another memorable song on the soundtrack.
The Alternate Ending
While the first film ended on a cliffhanger that involved Marty hopping back into The DeLorean with Doc after finding out his future kids were in trouble, it originally had a much different ending, says a Vocal Media writer who described the deleted scene.
It's hard to say whether the original ending would have been a better twist or simply anticlimactic, but the final scene was going to show George looking at a newspaper from 1955 that featured a photo of Marty playing "Johnny B. Goode" at the dance, to which George responds, "It can't be... But it is..."
The Reason There Will Never Be A 'BTTF 4'
In the age of reboots, Back to the Future fans have longed for the day that the megastar cast reunites and goes on a new adventure to the future in a fourth film. But co-creator Bob Gale nipped it in the bud during his appearance on The Collider Podcast in 2020.
Gale noted that he believes they told a complete story with the trilogy and that if they were to do a fourth film, it would feature a 60-something-year-old Michael J. Fox, who also has Parkinson's Disease. "You don’t want to see Back to the Future without Michael J. Fox," he concluded.