Back to the Future Co-Creator Shoots Down Possibility of Fourth Film

When Back to the Future premiered in 1985, audiences embraced it, and it became the highest grossing film of the year. Back to the Future stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a teenager who befriends a quirky scientist named Emmett “Doc” Brown who builds a time machine out of a DeLorean. As Marty travels back in time, his own existence is threatened as his mother starts to fall for him. The film catapulted Fox into stardom, and he went on to appear in other popular films of the decade including Teen Wolf, Secret of My Success, and Casualties of War. He also returned to the Back to the Future franchise to reprise the role of beloved Marty McFLy for 1989’s Back to the Future II and 1990’s Back to the Future III.

The film franchise holds a special place in American pop culture, and that, coupled with a growing interest in revivals and reboots, has left some questioning whether a Back to the Future IV will ever grace the big screen. Co-creator Bob Gale, who created the film franchise alongside Robert Zemeckis, recently spoke out about the possibility of a fourth film. While attending a benefit performance of Back to the Future: The Musical on Broadway, Gale told Variety:

“People say, ‘Why don’t you guys do Back to the Future Part 4?’ When they say that, they’re saying, ‘I want something that makes me feel as good as the original did.’ That’s what this is. That’s the feeling you’re going to get here when you see this show,” Gale said. “There’s no need to go back to that well. You’ve seen too many people go back too many times. As I’ve said many times, the characters in Back to the Future are my family, my children. You don’t sell your kids into prostitution.”

In May, Fox shared that he didn’t think a fourth film was necessary:

“I don’t think it needs to be. I think [co-creators] Bob and Bob have been really smart about that. I don’t think it needs rebooting because are you going to clarify something? You’re going to find a better way to tell the story? I doubt it.”

Related: Martin Scorsese Honors Michael J. Fox: ‘He’s a Guiding Light for Others With Parkinson’s — That Includes My Wife Helen’

Back to the Future: The Musical Unites the Film’s Castmates

For Back to the Future: The Musical, which premiered in Manchester in 2020 before making its way to the West End and now Broadway, Gale worked alongside composer Alan Silvestri and songwriter Glen Ballard. Back to the Future: The Musical will make its official Broadway debut on August 3, but original film stars including Fox, Lloyd, Thompson, Marc McClure, Harry Waters Jr., Donald Fullilove and producer Steven Spielberg attended a special showing benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research on Tuesday.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991 when he was just 29. He founded his namesake foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Casey Likes, who portrays Marty McFly in the Broadway adaptation, spoke highly of Fox and his efforts with Parkinson’s research:

“I watched [‘Back to the Future’] growing up all the time, and my mom always said I reminded her of Michael J. Fox. He’s always been a hero of mine and it’s really special I get to be a part of that legacy now. Parkinson’s research is unbelievably important. He’s done so much hard work for it, and it’s a program that needs to keep things funded.”