There will “never” be another Back to the Future… anything, its screenwriter has insisted.
Speculation ramped up after the co-creators of Cobra Kai, the TV series follow-up to the Karate Kid movies, discussed a possible Back to the Future TV series.
But Bob Gale, one of the screenwriters of the Robert Zemeckis-directed Back to the Future trilogy, has insisted there is no future for the franchise.
“I don’t know why they keep talking about that!” he told People. “I mean, do they think that if they say it enough times, we’re going to actually do it?”
“I mean, it’s like they know in every interview people say, ‘Oh Bob, when is there going to be a Back to the Future 4?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a prequel?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a spinoff?’ Never. It’s just fine the way it is. It’s not perfect, but as Bob Zemeckis used to say, ‘It’s perfect enough.’ ”
Of course, this is Bob Gale talking here, and the might of Hollywood, if it was so inclined, would probably have the final say were it to greenlight a Back to the Future revival. But executive producer Steven Spielberg would need to give it a thumbs up, and according to Gale, that’s unlikely.
“If the juggernaut of corporate America or corporate international mishigas says, ‘If you don’t agree to this, we’re going to kill your children,’ alright, well, no, we don’t want our children killed,’ ” he joked.
“But Steven Spielberg, of course, he’s got to sign off on it too. And Steven, just like Steven won’t allow another E.T., he totally respects the fact that we don’t want any more Back to the Future. He gets it and always stood behind that. And thank you, Steven.”
Gale’s comments here are in keeping with his previous responses to questions around a potential Back to the Future revival. In February, Gale issued a harsh message for fans hoping for a Back to the Future 4: “People always say, ‘When are you going to do Back to the Future 4?’ And we say, ‘F**k you.’ “
The original arrived in 1985 and sees high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) accidentally sent back in time by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd). It went on to become one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time, and spawned two sequels.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
