Back to the Future The Ultimate Visual History - Revised and Expanded Edition - Preview

WRITTEN BY MICHAEL KLASTORIN WITH RANDAL ATAMANIUK FOREWORD BY MICHAEL J. FOX PREFACE BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD INTRODUCTION BY BOB GALE AFTERWORD BY ROBERT ZEMECKIS An Insight Editions Book

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CONTENTS Foreword by Michael J. Fox 06 Part Two: 113 Preface by Christopher Lloyd 09 Introduction by Bob Gale 10 You’ve Gotta Come Back! it’s the script, bob! . . . 114 rewriting the future` 116 get Ready 118 Part One: meanwhile, back at the ranch . . . 124 When Bob Met Bob . . . 14 if the glover doesn’t fit 125 back to the beginning 16 the first and second drafts 17 get set . . . 126 intermission 20 the third draft 22 we’re back! 127 from zero to 88 mph 26 casting about 38 Part Three: 166 where’s Marty? 44 time circuits on 47 Go West` halfway home? 61 no rest for the weary 97 planes, trains, and deloreans 189 a musical interlude 99 sneaking around 100 and beyond: 206 Back to the Future: The Ride Back to the Future: 216 The Animated Series INTO THE FUTURE 222 OPPOSITE One of artist Drew OVERTURE CURTAIN LIGHTS 228 Struzan’s concepts for the Back to the Future Part II REUNITED AND IT FEEL SO GOOD! 237 movie poster. Afterword by Robert Zemeckis 238 THIS PAGE DeLorean concept Author acknowledgments 240 drawings by Ron Cobb.

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INTO THE FUTURE 221

INTO THE FUTURE IN 2018, The Hollywood Reporter polled readers as to Wheels DeLorean models, PREVIOUS PAGES Curtain call which movie franchise they would like to see return one from each film, for the cast of Back to the to the big screen. Over 70 percent chose Back to the to the Japan market Future: The Musical. Future. Ever since Back to the Future Part III arrived only. Several years later, in theaters, the filmmakers and cast have been these toys were made ABOVE Hasbro's “Gigawatt.” constantly faced with one question: Will there be a available around the Back to the Future Part IV? globe, with at least one new OPPOSITE LEFT, TOP A vehicle released every year, DeLorean limousine at the “When we put the title ‘The End’ as the train flies including Marty’s Toyota truck, 2012 DeLorean Car Show. away in Part III, we meant it,” says Gale of the cine- and Biff Tannen’s 1948 Ford SuperDeLuxe, matic adventures of Marty and Doc. He and Zemeckis complete with detachable manure! DeLorean OPPOSITE LEFT, BOTTOM remain proud of their work and have resisted offers to Time Machines have been produced in Oliver and Terry Holler's sequel-ize, prequel-ize, reboot, rerelease the original every shape and size, including radio- DeLorean time machine films in 3-D, update the special effects, or digitally alter controlled models as well as f lying in Rome. them. “These are the movies we made, and we stand drones. Figures of Marty, Doc, Biff, by them as they are,” says Zemeckis. Lorraine, and George have been OPPOSITE RIGHT (BOTTOM) The offered by a number of companies, start screen of Telltale The franchise continues to f lourish, proving to including the popular Funko Games's Back to the be, in the words of Michael J. Fox, “cross-generational.” Pop vinyl line of figurines, which Future: The Game. The ever-growing fan base has kept Back to the Future currently offers over 20 different a vital presence, and the films have never slipped away characters. A 2020 crossover with from the public imagination. Hasbro’s Transformers created a DeLorean time machine that transforms into the robot I’M YOUR BIGGEST FAN” “Gigawatt.” A Funko Pop Back to the Future board In the years since the final film’s release, a number game and Playmobil's Back to the Future toy line were of factors have helped keep the franchise alive. With also released in 2020. It is a testament to the enduring the cessation of Universal’s official fan club in 1990, popularity of the franchise that there is more Back to one ardent fan decided to take up the mantle. Stephen the Future merchandise available now than during the Clark founded Back to the Future: The Fan Club to time of the three films’ releases.  share his love of the trilogy. The club morphed into BacktotheFuture.com, a portal to the Back to the USED CARS Future universe, with up-to-date news covering every aspect of the franchise. Clark’s tenacity and dedica- Another beneficiary of the films’ success was the tion earned him the blessings of both Zemeckis and once-beleaguered DeLorean motorcar. With the Gale, and the gratitude of fans around the globe. popularity of the trilogy, many Back to the Future fans began buying the cars and converting them into In 2007, Clark lobbied those fans to engage in replicas of the time machine. a campaign to the Library of Congress, resulting in thousands of emails over the course of nine months— One such conversion led to some remarkable the largest write-in campaign ever on behalf of a film. results. In 2000, fan Oliver Holler was given a The result? Back to the Future was inducted into the dire medical prognosis and decided, alongside his National Film Registry, one of twenty-five films that wife Terry, to use whatever quality time he had left year deemed to be “culturally, historically, or aesthet- to pursue his dream of building a DeLorean time ically significant,” and earmarked for preservation by machine. The Hollers decided to use the completed the Library of Congress. car to raise money and awareness for The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Traveling TOY STORY throughout the world, the Hollers and their ToTheFuture.org campaign have raised more than a The unexpected success of Back to the Future meant quarter of a million dollars for Parkinson’s research. there was precious little physical merchandise for fans Oliver Holler’s own health situation also improved who wished to celebrate the film, only a soundtrack dramatically in those ensuing years, and he and Terry album, and a novelization. When Back to the Future continue their travels and fund-raising efforts. Part II was announced, that issue was rectified as merchants lined up to offer licensed Back to the Future Other DeLorean owners have formed regional merchandise to eager fans. T-shirts, posters, action car clubs and, since 1998, have assembled biannually figures, wardrobe, prop replicas, and skateboards for the DeLorean Car Show, held in different cities were among the many items to feature the Back to the every other June, with appearances by various cast Future logo. In 2001, Mattel released its first three Hot and crew from the trilogy. 222

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY A GAME? In April 2009, a hotel in Burbank, California, hosted From 1985 to 1991, a number of game developers an autograph show in which fans could mingle with attempted to create video games based on the films, some of their favorite film and television stars. This to abysmal results. A review of one entry dismissed marked Christopher Lloyd’s and Lea Thompson’s fan the effort as a “travesty, which bears little resem- event debut appearances. The promoters of the show blance to the movie.” surrounded the stars with a number of their BTTF castmates, including James Tolkan, Marc McClure, In 2010, for the film’s twenty-fifth anniver- Elsa Raven, Claudia Wells, Charles Fleischer, Courtney sary, software developer Telltale Games recruited Gains, and Jeffrey Weissman, along with crew Bob Gale to help develop a Back to the Future video members Andrew Probert, Kevin Pike, and Michael game, later bringing in Christopher Lloyd to voice Klastorin. Lloyd and Thompson were besieged by fans Doc Brown, with Claudia Wells reprising her role who lined up for hours to get an autograph, a photo, as Jennifer. Newcomer A. J. LoCascio provided a and a personal moment with the stars. On the second pitch-perfect performance as Marty and, for the day of the event, the Back to the Future contingent got final episode of the five-chapter game, Michael J. a huge surprise of their own, as Michael J. Fox stopped Fox made a surprise cameo as the voice of the future by for a heartfelt reunion with his friends. Marty McFly and his forefather, William McFly. With its storyline beginning in May 1986, six months after Ever since, Lloyd and Thompson continue to the events of Back to the Future Part III, many fans make appearances at conventions, as do other cast consider the game the closest thing they’ll ever get to members. In 2015, Michael J. Fox joined the party in a Back to the Future Part IV. By February 2011, Back selected cities around the country and overseas, and to the Future: The Game had become Telltale’s most they have all been recently joined by Tom Wilson. successful franchise, with more than one million downloads. Another notable video game collabo- ration was 2015’s action-adventure mash-up LEGO Dimensions, for which Fox and Lloyd also lent their voices. Additionally, Rocket League players are able to drive the DeLorean time machine in the game’s Back to the Future DLC, and there are fan-created Back to the Future mods for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. WHAT SIZE DO YOU TAKE?” In 2011, Nike produced 1,500 pairs of the 2011 Nike MAG, a tribute to the self-lacing shoes worn by Marty in Back to the Future Part II. The sneakers were promoted via TV and Internet spots directed by Frank Marshall, and featured Christopher Lloyd as Doc, along with Don Fullilove, comedian Bill Hader, and NBA All-Star Kevin Durant. The shoes were auctioned on eBay, with all proceeds going to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, ultimately raising an estimated $4.7 million. 223

TOTALLY REFURBISHED, BACK TO 1885? ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER ! Multi-hyphenate Seth MacFarlane fell in love with Back to the Future in the same way as millions of others. “I The launch party for the Nike MAG campaign initi- remember seeing the movie when it first came out. I ated another project integral to the franchise’s legacy. think I was about eleven or twelve years old, so I was The original DeLorean, used in all three movies, right in the pocket of that audience,” he says. “As I got was displayed at the event after sitting on Universal older, I started to appreciate it on a more filmic level, Studios back lot for over twenty years. Bob Gale was and it really is, structurally, about as good as it gets . . . greatly distressed that decades of exposure to the I have a long relationship with that movie and was able elements had left it a shell of its former self. to process it in different ways in the course of my life.” That relationship was shared in numerous episodes of He took action, turning to a number of superfans Family Guy as parody and homage. in an effort to restore the DeLorean time machine. Among them was Joe Walser, who had not only proven The proud owner of a DeLorean time machine his prowess at turning DeLoreans into time machine for many years, MacFarlane found a place to spotlight replicas, but was also one of the creators of “We’re the vehicle and its “creator” in a special cameo in his Going Back,” a huge 2010 fan event that celebrated 2014 period Western comedy, A Million Ways to Die the twenty-fifth anniversary of Back to the Future. in the West. Riding through the western town in the Walser leaped at the opportunity, along with fellow middle of the night, MacFarlane’s character Albert BTTF fan Terry Matalas and several others. Armed is distracted by light f lashes coming from a barn. with an in-depth proposal and budget, the group went Opening the door to investigate, he startles an elderly to Universal, where Gale outlined the reasons that the man standing over a strange contraption. “What’s studio should restore this very valuable asset. “I explained that?” asks Albert. “Weather experiment,” responds that there were museums that would kill to have that Doctor Emmett L. Brown, portrayed by none other DeLorean in their collection and would pay to restore than Christopher Lloyd. it, but wouldn’t it be better if it remained at Universal?” says Gale. “The studio ultimately agreed they needed to “That was one of the very last additions to the protect an important piece of the studio’s history.” script,” details MacFarlane. “And it turned out to be one of the most crowd-pleasing moments of the movie.” With no blueprints or diagrams for reference, the restoration team turned to copies of original After shooting was done, the cast and crew lined design sketches from 1984 and detailed photos of up to take pictures with the Doc, including MacFarlane. the DeLorean taken by the trilogy’s still photogra- “Oftentimes, actors want to distance themselves from pher, Ralph Nelson. First, the car was completely their most iconic characters, but the thing about Chris disassembled. “Each and every part needed to be is that he loves Doc Brown as much as you want him to looked at, assessed, photographed, and cataloged,” love Doc Brown,” explains MacFarlane. “Certainly for explains Walser. everyone on set, that did not go unnoticed, and it was something that we all really appreciated.” That process also determined which parts were missing from the car. Through keen detective work, some of those parts were tracked down to where they were first obtained. They were then replaced by “sister” parts, which were sometimes from the same boxes in which the original pieces were housed. Knowing that some of the missing parts were in the possession of a number of fans, Gale went on Facebook and made a plea for their return. He was gratified by the response. “A lot of guys really stepped up to the plate and said, ‘If you’re restoring the DeLorean, I’ll donate this item back so it goes back on the car where it belongs.’ We were very grateful to everybody who pitched in with their time and energy.” A documentary of the entire process, entitled OUTATIME: Saving the DeLorean Time Machine, was directed by BTTF superfan Steve Concotelli, and just over a year later, on March 5, 2013, the fully restored time machine was unveiled at the NBC Universal Experience on the studio lot. However, after two and a half years, the studio decided to utilize the space to expand the theme park. As a result, the vehicle took its place as the crown jewel of film cars at the Petersen Automotive Museum in April 2016. 224

H O V E R B O A R D S A R E R E A L--P A R T I I I HEAR A SYMPHONY Ever since 1989, when Robert Zemeckis made a In late 2014, composer Alan Silvestri was approached tongue-in-cheek comment about hoverboards being by his agent Michael Gorfaine and producer Jamie real, fans impatiently waited for the day when tech- Richardson with a proposal to present Back to the Future nology would catch up with the director’s fertile in concert halls, with a live orchestra performing the imagination. In March 2014, a video hit the Internet score in sync with the picture, a concept that was that garnered international attention. Arriving at a proving popular with other movies. But there was parking lot in downtown Los Angeles in a DeLorean, a catch. Christopher Lloyd announced the invention of the world’s first working hoverboard, created by a “It would require the addition of more than company called HUVrTech. The video featured fifteen minutes of music to the original film,” explains demonstrations of the fully operational hoverboard Silvestri. “The first orchestral cue didn’t come until by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, with commen- almost twenty minutes into the film. We couldn’t have tary from rock artist Moby, professional athlete a full orchestra just sitting there on the stage for that Terrell Owens, and Back to the Future cast member amount of time with nothing to do, so I had to ask Bob Billy Zane. and Bob if they would approve of adding music to their iconic film. I was a little bit nervous even daring to ask The worldwide reactions ranged from excite- them.” His fears proved totally unfounded. “We loved ment to doubt. Within days, after hundreds of the idea,” says Gale. “We saw it as a way of offering thousands of views, it was revealed that the video was audiences a new way of seeing the movie, on the big the brainchild of the comedy website Funny Or Die. screen, but with the added excitement of the live expe- Unfortunately, as of 2020, working hoverboards have rience of a full orchestra performing the score.” yet to be perfected, but fans continue to be captivated by the possibility. Thus, Silvestri moved forward. “When we started, everyone said, ‘Oh my god! How amazing will it be, DO YOU WANT TO after all these years, for you to go back to that movie and write music.’ But I found that if I wrote something KNOW A SECRET? new, thematically it didn’t sound right. In its own way, the movie allowed change only to a point, because I In summer 2014, the continuing popularity of couldn’t write totally new music and get away with it.” Back to the Future was abundantly clear in London, Silvestri solved the problem by taking pieces of his England. Since 2007, Fabien Riggall’s Secret Cinema existing BTTF scores and inserting them in areas that had been creating interactive, immersive presenta- were previously unaccompanied by music. tions of a range of classic films for a growing number of moviegoers. When Riggall announced his most Back to the Future Live in Concert made its world ambitious project yet for 2014, Back to the Future, the premiere on May 30, 2015 in Lucerne, Switzerland, ticket demand crashed the company’s website. Once performed by the 21st Century Orchestra conducted repaired, 60,000 tickets (at 50 British pounds each) by David Newman. At the conclusion, Silvestri joined were sold within eight hours. Several performances the orchestra on stage to a standing ovation. Since were added, and all sold out. then, Back to the Future Live in Concert has been performed countless times in some of the world’s Riggall recreated the town of Hill Valley at the most famous venues, including New York’s Radio site of London’s 2012 Olympic Village, complete with City Music Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and shops, restaurants, and the iconic courthouse and Los Angeles’s Hollywood Bowl to an audience of clock tower. For twenty-one evenings, 3,500 ticket over 15,000. Silvestri continues to be amazed by holders arrived at 5 p.m. in ’50s costume to wander the phenomenon. “As a rock ’n’ roll kid from New the town and mingle with Hill Valley residents Jersey, I never imagined that I would ever take a bow and storekeepers portrayed by actors. Lou’s Cafe at places like these,” he says. served burgers and milkshakes and, behind the facade of Hill Valley High, visitors could attend the OPPOSITE TOP The poster “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance and boogie to for OUTATIME: Saving the a live band. As darkness fell, attendees sat in the DeLorean Time Machine. gigantic town square to watch the film projected onto the courthouse, with live-action elements OPPOSITE BOTTOM Christopher synchronized to the movie. When lightning struck Lloyd with Seth MacFarlane the courthouse in the movie, it triggered a full pyro- on the set of A Million technic display on the replica courthouse. Ways to Die in the West. LEFT Back to the Future Live in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. 225

WE RE IN THE FUTURE gull wing doors open, and carrying celebrity passen- gers, including Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, On January 1, 2015, media interest in Back to the Donald Fullilove, Claudia Wells, and Marc McClure, Future exploded again as the world approached to the cheers of thousands of onlookers. October 21, 2015, the once-distant date on which Marty and Doc arrived in the fictional 2015 of Back Interviews with cast members and filmmakers to the Future Part II. Television shows, newspapers, proliferated the airwaves counting down to October magazines, and websites dissected Zemeckis and 21, 2015, and New York City was chosen as “Back Gale’s vision of what was to come, pointing out what to the Future Central” to give the media maximum they got right and what had not yet come to pass (see access to the celebrities. Around the world, movie Robert Zemeckis’s afterword for the list). theaters scheduled special screenings of Back to the Future Part II. A theater on Manhattan’s West The months leading up to what would hence- Side hosted a red carpet event, where Michael J. Fox, forth be referred to as Back to the Future Day, (a Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Bob Gale, Alan date which would even go on to be acknowledged Silvestri, and Huey Lewis engaged with the audience by President Barack Obama) celebrated not only for a Q&A prior to the screening of Back to the Future the significant date from Part II, but also the Part II. thirtieth anniversary of the franchise. One of the most unique events, in support of special needs The highlight of the celebrations found a children, was Las Vegas Car Stars. During the event, DeLorean actually landing on the stage of Jimmy twenty-seven DeLoreans, nine of which were modified as Kimmel Live!. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd time machines, paraded down the Las Vegas strip, emerged from the time machine together as their legendary characters for the first time in twenty-five years. Kimmel played the genial host, filling in Marty and Doc on what had actually transpired over the course of the decades. When Marty expressed his disappointment that the world was not the utopia Doc had suggested it would be, Doc theorized that a rip in the space-time continuum had sent them to an alternate 2015! Los Angeles held a five-day celebration called “We’re Going Back,” which attracted thousands of fans. The nearby town of Fillmore was turned into Hill Valley for a day, giving fans a chance to experi- ence hoverboarding under the watchful eyes of the stunt performers who had done it on screen. A visit to the courthouse square on the Universal Studios lot turned into a wedding for one couple. Later, an “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance was held at its original filming location, where another couple became engaged as Harry Waters Jr. serenaded them with “Earth Angel.” The final day took place at the Puente Hills Mall, where dozens of crew members talked to the fans about their memories of filming the trilogy. That evening, thousands filled the famous parking lot where the DeLorean chase was filmed for a screening of Back to the Future and a live Skype call from Christopher Lloyd. Of course, Back to the Future festivities weren’t limited to the United States. In the United Kingdom, British comedian and superfan Keith Lemon presented a taped ninety-minute special on ITV2 entitled “Keith Lemon’s Back T’Future Tribute,” guest starring Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Bob Gale. Lemon, playing Marty McFly, spoofed numerous scenes from the movie, including the Twin Pines Mall sequence. Hilariously, due to new UK govern- ment safety regulations, the ensuing chase was restricted to ten miles per hour. 226

Back to the Future Day also marked the debut of a four-issue, limited edition comic series, subtitled Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines. For decades, fans had asked questions like “How did Marty and Doc meet?” and “What happened when Doc first arrived in 2015?” Thankfully, Bob Gale and a talented team of writers and artists at IDW decided to give them some answers. “The series explores things that happened before the events of the trilogy, in between the events of the trilogy, and in our alternate realities,” says Gale. The first issue features two stories, including “When Marty Met Emmett.” By the end of the third issue, the title’s popularity led it to becoming an ongoing monthly series that ran for three years, with the stories later reprinted in trade paperbacks. They include Tales From the Time Train, which explores the travels of Doc, Clara, Jules, and Verne through time, and Biff to the Future, which explains how the young Biff Tannen used the sports almanac to build his vast empire in the second film. The day after Back to the Future Day, USA Today wrapped its daily edition with a four-page replica of the newspaper featured in Back to the Future Part II. Fans f locked to newsstands all over the country to get a copy of the collectible edition with the headline “Youth Jailed” accompanied by the photo of Marty McFly Jr. A second limited edition featured the alternative headline “Gang Jailed” with a photo of Griff Tannen and gang. HOW ABOUT A RIDE, THIS STUFF OPPOSITE TOP The cover of issue #1 of IDW's Back to MR. SPIELBERG? BELONGS IN A MUSEUM the Future comic series. Steven Spielberg’s 2018 film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s In the thirty-five-year history of the franchise, small OPPOSITE MIDDLE DeLorean best-selling Ready Player One is filled with 1980s exhibitions have sprung up intermittently, allowing time machines parade pop-culture references, and is especially “heavy” with fans the opportunity to view props, artwork, and down the Las Vegas strip. allusions to Back to the Future, including the use of other assorted ephemera. But on December 5, 2019, the DeLorean as the lead car in a thrilling race scene. Bob Gale and several members of the cast appeared OPPOSITE BOTTOM Marty While some references come directly from the original in Hollywood to open the first-ever official Back to McFly and Doc Brown make novel, such as the main character’s choice of ride in the Future trilogy exhibit in the United States. an appearance on Jimmy his travels through the virtual reality worlds, others Kimmel Live! were devised specifically for the screen, including the The Hollywood Museum, located in the historic “Zemeckis Cube,” a video game artifact that allowed Max Factor Building, opened its doors to an enor- ABOVE TOP \"We're Going its users to reverse time for sixty seconds. Eagle-eyed mous collection of some 350 rare artifacts from all Back\" attendees gather at viewers of the film are also treated to several other three films, including two hoverboards, the Doc the parking lot where the Easter eggs, such as a hoverboard in the background Brown robe from 1955 worn by Christopher Lloyd, Twin Pines Mall sequence of one scene and a “Goldie Wilson for Mayor” poster Mary Steenburgen’s Clara Clayton dress from 1885, was filmed. tacked on a virtual wall in another. Spielberg also Marty’s 1955 Western costume, and the DeLorean wanted some specific musical cues to come directly used on-screen in Part III. ABOVE MIDDLE A screening of from the original score of Back to the Future, a request Back to the Future during easily fulfilled, as composer Alan Silvestri had been the Secret Cinema event tapped to compose the film’s score. in London. Cinematic callbacks to Back to the Future didn’t ABOVE BOTTOM The Back to end there. A little over a year later, in Avengers: the Future exhibit at the Endgame, the biggest blockbuster of 2019, Marvel’s Hollywood Museum. superheroes discuss Back to the Future as they prepare for their own time travel. 227

OVERTURE CURTAIN !LIGHTS It is a decades-old practice in the theater world to While the music half of the team began their BELOW The Manchester adapt a film for the stage as a musical, as was the collaboration, Gale and Zemeckis set out to find an program cover for Back to case for Mel Brooks’s Oscar-winning comedy The established musical producer with whom they would the Future: The Musical. Producers. After attending a performance of that collaborate. This would not be the simple task they show in 2005, Leslie Zemeckis asked her husband believed it would be. In fact, it took longer to get OPPOSITE TOP Colin Ingram, Bob to consider doing the same for Back to the Future. the musical from conception to stage than it did to Alan Silvestri, Robert “It seemed like a great idea,” says Zemeckis. “The mount, produce, and release the entire film trilogy. Zemeckis, John Rando, Bob story is pretty operatic, and there was so much great Gale admits that in the initial stages, “part of the Gale, and Glen Ballard pose music in the movie. I went to Bob Gale and shared problem was due to our own ignorance. None of us in front of a mock-up of Hill the idea with him.” had yet had any experience in musical theater, so we Valley's clock. assumed it was simply a matter of finding an expe- There were numerous reasons for moving forward rienced producer who shared our vision.” It wasn’t. OPPOSITE BOTTOM LEFT AND with the project. “It would be a way of giving the world Every producer they met dismissed the idea that RIGHT Robert Zemeckis, Bob more of Back to the Future without compromising the these theatrical novices could write a book, music, Gale, and Alan Silvestri legacy of the film,” says Gale. “And it made creative and lyrics based on their own film. working behind the scenes sense. Marty was a musician, so the audience would on Back to the Future expect him to sing. The rest of the characters had Part III (left) and reuniting larger-than-life personalities that would translate twenty-nine years later on perfectly to the stage, plus there was spectacle and Back to the Future: The theatrical magic intrinsic to the story.” Musical (right). As with every Back to the Future venture over the years, Gale and Zemeckis would be firmly in charge of this show. “It was far too important to us, and to our fans, for us to relinquish creative control,” says Gale. “This show had to be great, or it shouldn’t be made at all.” With that established, their first call was to the person they knew had to be part of the musical, composer Alan Silvestri. He and Zemeckis felt strongly that award-winning songwriter and lyricist Glen Ballard would be a beneficial addition to the team. Ballard and Silvestri had previously teamed up for the songs in Zemeckis’s The Polar Express, one of which was nominated for an Academy Award. Ballard was thrilled to be invited into the Back to the Future family. “At first glance, it’s intimidating,” he says of the franchise. “But you have to take the Hippocratic oath—first, do no harm. You don’t want, in any way, to diminish this thing that’s delighted people for thirty-five years. Bob and Bob knew that I would always, in every way, honor the spirit of this brand.” Even though the play had not yet been written, Silvestri and Ballard went to work. “It was fun right away to find a voice for every character in a song, each of which became the equivalent of close-ups onstage in what they sing about,” Ballard explains. “Glen was born to be a part of this project,” relates Gale. “He and Alan went off and wrote some fantastic songs, which captured the tone and humor perfectly. Some sounded like the ’50s, some like the ’80s, and some sounded like Back to the Future, including ‘Only a Matter of Time,’ based on Alan’s orchestral theme from the movie.” By 2008, the team was committed to bringing Back to the Future: The Musical to the stage. 228

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From 2010 to 2011, Glen Ballard took a break had to sing a song, so I found a karaoke version of THESE PAGES Various images from Back to the Future: The Musical to work on Talking Heads’s ‘Once in a Lifetime.’ It was perfect from Back to the Future: another screen to stage adaptation—Ghost: The because of the lyrics, ‘You may find yourself in The Musical rehearsals: Musical. He came back to the BTTF team raving another part of the world, you may find yourself Olly Dobson (Marty McFly) about the show’s producer, Colin Ingram. Ingram behind the wheel of a large automobile.’ It was Doc and company (top left); f lew to Los Angeles and found himself at a table explaining time travel. About a week later I was Roger Bart (Doc Brown) with the Bobs, Alan Silvestri, and Glen Ballard. By offered the job.” and Olly Dobson (bottom the time the meeting was over, Ingram had the job. left); rehearsal for a As time passed, interviews and tryouts with dance sequence (middle); “I was a huge fan of the film. I’m very much an prospective directors did not excite the creative Olly Dobson performing a ’80s kid,” says Ingram of the meeting. “I was open team. “We were unable to find a suitable director dance sequence with the to their ideas, to Glen and Alan writing the music . . . who fully understood what we were trying to do,” company (bottom right). but very, very aware that when a screenwriter tries explains Gale. “By 2015, it became clear to the four to write a stage play, it can be difficult, so it was of us that no one understood the material better than important to find the right director to help on the we did, so we instigated a new plan. Glen suggested dramaturgy side of it. I think they also quite liked we write a version of the book and more songs that the idea of opening in the West End [of London], represented our vision of the show, then have profes- because you have more time to create over there, and sionals perform this material before a live audience it’s a safer place to open. Opening on Broadway is a in a showcase that we would videotape.” Under the very public thing, it’s very expensive, and you have supervision of Ballard, that showcase took place in to hit the ground running because you’ll be off if June 2017. “We got immense praise from all who you’re not making a million dollars a week.” attended, including the principals of Universal Studios Theatrical department,” says Gale. “That The intention was to open the show in 2015, gave us a much needed shot of adrenaline.” to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of Back to the Future. To that end, Producer Colin Ingram, in The video was edited down to a thirty-five- collaboration with casting director David Grindrod minute version for Colin to show to prospective began the casting process. One of the first calls went directors. A few months later, the producer f lew back to Tony award-winning, Broadway veteran Roger to Los Angeles to introduce Gale and Ballard to Tony Bart for the role of Doctor Emmett Brown. Award–winner John Rando, who expressed his desire to take on the job as director. “I was living in West Hollywood,” recalls the actor, “and I was asked to put myself on tape, “I needed them to know that the characters and preparing three long scenes. I threw on a bathrobe, story would be protected and valued by me,” explains used a lampshade for the mind-reading helmet Rando. “At the end of the meeting, I grabbed Bob and an Atari controller for the ‘you’re gonna see Gale by the shoulders, and said, ‘Listen to me, Bob. some serious shit’ moment, and basically created I love these characters. I love these people. I know an insane tape in the bedroom of the house. I also you do, too. I will take very good care of them if you 231

give me the job.’ The next day, I got a call saying I got it. . . . The most challenging thing was making sure that it worked as a musical. I insisted with the team that we had to make the musical first. Not the special effects, the production design, we’d deal with those later. We wanted to move quickly into a first reading.” When Rando came on board, he worked with Gale on the book. “There was a lot of really great stuff in Bob’s draft that I saw that we could capitalize on. A lot of the work was helping him understand the difference between what a movie is and what a musical is. He was a great student of musicals,” says Rando. “He came to New York, and saw as many as he could, he read things, he’s a research fanatic.” Casting director David Grindrod auditioned a number of actors in London for both their acting and singing acumen. He chose his top three suggestions for each role and sent their videos to Rando in New York, to Ingram in London, and to Gale and Ballard in Los Angeles. Then they all emailed their choices to each other. “We were in agreement about ninety percent of the time,” says Gale. They were all unani- mous in wanting to have Roger Bart come back to the production as the Doc. Bart remembers, “Some two and a half years after the project stalled, I got another call from Colin asking if I was still interested in doing the show. I asked who the director was. When he told me it was John Rando, I was thrilled as I had worked with John on a small workshop many years before, and I was very fond of him. I said ‘yes’ immediately, and soon thereafter, I was on a plane to London to do the first reading.” As for the role of Marty McFly, Olly Dobson auditioned seven times in 2014. This time, he only had to do it once. “The first ever audition I had for a professional job was Back to the Future,” he laughs. “I didn’t have a problem going back when John Rando came aboard because, as I told my agent, I soooo wanted that role.” Much like Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the chem- istry between Dobson and Roger Bart was evident from the beginning. That 2018 workshop went better than anyone could have hoped for, and Bob Gale recalls thinking how Colin had made the perfect call in bringing in John Rando. “John brought a level of expertise that elevated every scene and number in the show beyond what we thought was possible. He always found and created additional moments of comedy and humanity, and inspired everyone to do their best work. If a song wasn’t working, Glen revised it on the spot. When one particular song wasn’t working at all, Glen wrote a brand-new one overnight. As a newcomer to all of this, I was constantly amazed by the talent and ability exhibited by everyone, always nurtured by John’s guiding hand.” 232

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After more rewriting, the next crucial work- tenure on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the shop was in January 2019. For this performance, West End. As the production raced toward the opening the company invited 150 members of the theater preview dates, the schedule was peppered with more community, including some hard-core Back to the choreography, music, fight and skateboarding work- Future fans. “Pleasing them was critical because if shops, video work, and time travel effects. they weren’t happy with the show, even in this rough state, we might have to go back to the drawing board,” Before the show could officially open, there was ref lects Gale. These fears were alleviated when two one matter that needed to be taken care of. Roger women, introducing themselves as the founders of the Bart needed a set of keys to the DeLorean, and there UK’s Michael J. Fox Fan Club, approached Gale and was only one man who had them. Christopher Lloyd told him they had come to the performance unable to traveled to Manchester to personally deliver those imagine anyone else as Marty McFly. To Gale’s delight, keys to his onstage successor. The cast and crew they said that in ten minutes, they were completely were delighted to meet the legendary actor who gave won over by Dobson and the entire production. The everybody a congratulatory “GREAT SCOTT!” before Manchester Opera House was sold too, telling the he departed. team that they would book the show whenever it was ready. Bob Zemeckis, who had not been at rehearsals On February 20, 2020, every seat of the 1,920- due to filming, experienced the show with fresher eyes seat Manchester Opera House was filled for the very and provided insightful notes. first public preview of Back to the Future: The Musical. BTTF fans came from around the globe, and the As planned, it was now time to bring in the response was staggering, with prolonged standing techies. The producer had invited designer Tim Hatley ovations as the curtain fell. With twenty days to go to an earlier workshop. A multiple Tony Award– until the press night, the creative team attended winner, Hatley’s credits included three musicals that every performance, taking notes, and continuously were inspired by feature films: The Bodyguard, Shrek: fine-tuning and tightening the show. A song was The Musical, and Monty Python’s Spamalot. Hatley dropped at the last minute, another was added, was blown away and signed on immediately. Using dialogue was revised, visual effects were adjusted, a simple black box in which he built a scale model of PREVIOUS PAGES Various the stage and sets, he was able to test concepts with set design elements the director. produced for the musical by production designer Rando, working with his longtime collaborator Tim Hatley. choreographer Chris Bailey, put some New York and London dancers through their paces in a rehearsal OPPOSITE TOP Christopher space with the exact dimensions of the stage at Lloyd handing the keys the Manchester Opera House, along with a full- to the DeLorean to size mock-up of the DeLorean time machine. The Roger Bart. sessions were videotaped and sent to Alan Silvestri to compose underscore for these sequences. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Olly Dobson and Roger Bart The various illusions were put in the hands of take the stage. special effects supervisor Chris Fisher, fresh off his ABOVE AND RIGHT Scenes from Back to the Future: The Musical. 235

and the show only became final when the curtain called it “gigawatts of musical entertainment and rose on March 11, 2020. When it did, with 14 brand visual delight.” A number of West End theater owners new songs along with four favorites from the film, in attendance made it known they would welcome the the response was as joyful as it had been for the prior show into their theaters after its run in Manchester. performances. The press lauded the show. Broadway World’s five-star review called it “a must-see whether The overwhelming response to the musical you’re a fan of the film or not,” and WhatsOnStage was more than gratifying to the production. “The process of creating the musical has been one of the greatest creative experiences of my life,” says Bob Gale. “I feel like a proud parent whose child has exceeded all of my expectations.” “The musical is such a wonderful companion to the movie,” adds Zemeckis. “I literally had tears in my eyes when the curtain came down.” Unfortunately, five days after the press night, the show, along with all theater and film venues, was closed due to the spread of COVID-19. As of this writing, closures due to the worldwide pandemic remain in effect. While the musical will not reopen in Manchester as planned, the London stage awaits, and plans to do productions in Germany, North America, and other countries are already in the musical’s future. As for anyone wondering if Zemeckis and Gale would consider a film version of the musical, here’s Bob Gale’s unequivocal response: “No. The musical was designed through and through to be done on a stage, and that’s how we want people to see it. Besides, there’s already a really good movie called Back to the Future, and I highly recommend it!” 236

REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD IN 2020, as COVID-19 continued to spread, millions the filmmakers from attempting such a venture. Bob around the world began a period of shelter in place. Zemeckis laughed as he admitted, “If I had an idea In response, a great number of artists took to the that I could have pitched to Bob [Gale] with a straight Internet, offering welcome diversions from the face, we would have made it!” calamity that had the world reeling. One such artist was actor Josh Gad, whose web series,  Reunited Later, another admitted superfan, director Apart, brings together the casts of beloved films via J. J. Abrams, joined the festivities to ask questions a Zoom call, while raising funds for charity. On May of the cast and filmmakers. The joyous reunion 11, 2020, Gad hosted one of the biggest Back to the concluded with the cast and musicians of Back Future gatherings ever held, for the benefit of the health organization Project HOPE.  to the Future: The Musical  performing a rousing Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea rendition of “The Power of Love,” from their own Thompson were joined by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, homes, of course. As the credits rolled, Claudia Huey Lewis, Alan Silvestri, Mary Steenburgen, and Wells popped in, lamenting that she had missed Elisabeth Shue. Gad made no bones about being an yet another Zoom meeting and the opportunity to uber fan, revealing that he had seen the films over finally meet Elisabeth Shue. Two days after the Back 350 times! The cast recreated many beloved scenes to the Future virtual reunion was first posted, it had and dialogue, and reminisced about the trilogy’s over one million views. production. Gad couldn’t help but take up the fans’ cause and ask what a Back to the Future Part IV might With 2015 firmly behind us, Zemeckis and look like. Bob Gale suggested that when Marty and Gale’s cinematic “future” is now in the past, but Doc find out that another Back to the Future movie the Back to the Future franchise shows no signs is being made, they take the DeLorean back to stop of slowing down, and continues to be history in the making! OPPOSITE TOP: Bob Gale, Robert Zemeckis, Glen Ballard, and Alan Silvestri during the press night curtain call. OPPOSITE BELOW Back to the Future: The Musical premiered at the Manchester Opera House. LEFT The charity Zoom call hosted by Josh Gad and featuring Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, Mary Steenburgen, Elisabeth Shue, Alan Silvestri, Huey Lewis, and J. J. Abrams. For more information about the charity Project Hope, please visit: projecthope.org. 237

AFTERWORD IT ’S W O N D E R F U L L Y A P P R O P R IA T E T H A T T H IS B O O K is coming out in 2020 on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the first Back to the Future movie—almost as if “it was meant to be,” to quote Lorraine McFly. It gives us a chance to compare the future we predicted with the future we actually got. Bob Gale and I didn’t set out to predict the future in Back to the Future Part II. We knew we’d fail. We simply set out to make an entertaining sequel to a movie everyone loved, and have fun with the future. Some of our predictions weren’t hard to make. The Cafe 80’s, and ’80s nostalgia itself was one. Sure, it’s a joke (which was a lot funnier in 1989), but in the ’80s we were nostalgic about the ’50s, so it made sense that we’d always be nostalgic about whatever was thirty years ago. In 1988, we knew f lat-screen TVs and home videocon- ferencing were in development. Same for payment and identification by thumbprint and voice-activated lights and appliances. The idea that the town square would become a green space, with the courthouse as a shopping mall, was a way to show the future as a nice place to live. This idea served our story and tone, but it was soundly based on urban redevelopment concepts discussed in 1988. Some predictions were just jokes that turned out right. Drones? Okay, we’re still a few years away from the USA Today photography drone or drones that walk our dogs, but that prediction goes in the win column. And those video glasses Marty’s kids are wearing at the dinner table? How great is it that so many recent articles about Google Glass or Apple iGlasses or Microsoft HoloLens glasses make reference to our movie? By the time this book comes out, we’ll know if the Cubs made the World Series. If they do, Bob and I will be hailed as visionaries. If they don’t, the gag will remain funny. Either way, we win! With some predictions, we failed spectacularly, although these were first and foremost intended as jokes. Fax machines in every room? Oops. And the pizza hydrator. Not that we expected it—it was just a gag—but I was hoping someone might actually be working on it by now. We don’t have self-adjusting, self-drying, voice-activated jackets yet, but wearable technology is now entering the marketplace. Meanwhile, I’m thankful that kids don’t wear their clothes inside out or have bionic implants. And then there are the hoverboards. Obviously, this sequence was created as the future version of our skateboard chase. I knew from the start every kid would want a hoverboard. What I didn’t know was how firmly this idea would implant itself in the world’s collective imagination—to the extent that a working version of it now exists! And it’s magnetic, just as we imagined it! Here’s something that, until 1989, no one had conceived of, no one knew they wanted . . . and now it’s becoming a reality! Life indeed imitates art! Looking back, I can honestly say that, of all my movies, Back to the Future is the one I’m most proud of. But maybe not for the reason you’d expect. Of course, every filmmaker dreams of making a movie that’s not only successful but passes the test of time and entertains audiences who weren’t even born when it was made. Every director wants to make a movie that permeates pop culture so thoroughly that everyone in the world recognizes its characters and imagery. But my greatest source of pride is that Back to the Future is totally original. It wasn’t a book or a play or a comic book or a TV show. It wasn’t presold, it’s not based on a real event, and it’s not derivative of anything else. It was born wholly and completely out of my own and Bob Gale’s combined imaginations as a movie, and it’s full of cinematic ideas and moments designed to take full advantage of the medium of film. Back to the Future is a pure movie experience. It’s why I always wanted to make movies. And nothing makes me happier than knowing that audiences are still enjoying it and being inspired by it. Robert Zemeckis August, 2015 238

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© 2020 Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Inc. All Rights Reserved. There are so many people to thank for their generosity, kindness, and will- All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner ingness to share their memories in making this book a true celebration of whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations Back to the Future. embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Harper Design, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007. I am, and always have been, proud and honored to be a part of the BTTF family. As I’ve said to Bob Gale on many occasions, “Back to the Future is the HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promo- gift that keeps on giving . . .” I’m so happy to give back. tional use. For information please e-mail the Special Markets Department at [email protected] Bob is the true godfather of this book. Ten minutes after I told him it was happening, he e-mailed me with a list of people he had already lined up Original edition first published in hardcover in the United States and Canada in for Randy and me to interview. The access he gave us to everything, from his 2015 by knowledge to his archives, was unprecedented. And he’s been my cheerleader Harper Design on this project for a very long time. When Bob Gale calls you a “good writer,” An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers there is no higher compliment. Tel: (212) 207-7000 Fax: (855) 746-6023 Bob Zemeckis and Neil Canton added so very much to this book, as [email protected] did Steven Spielberg, Kathy Kennedy, and Frank Marshall. My appreciation www.hc.com and gratitude to them all. Distributed throughout the United States and Canada by The cast members were no less amazing in their contributions. HarperCollinsPublishers Sincerest thanks to Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Billy 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 Gibbons, Burton Gilliam, Melora Hardin, Huey Lewis, Ricky Dean Logan, Marc McClure, James Tolkan, Darlene Vogel, Harry Waters Jr., Jeffrey Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available. Weissman, Claudia Wells, and Elijah Wood. ISBN: 978-0-06-307304-3 The Back to the Future trilogy and ongoing universe would not be what they are today without the incredible talents of those behind the scenes. The Unit photography by Ralph Nelson, Jr.; black-and-white images of Eric Stoltz on same applies to this book. I thank you all: John Bell, Clyde Bryan, Michael pages 44–61 from the collections of the Margaret Herrick library, Academy of Burmeister, Rick Carter, Stephen Clark, Ron Cobb, Charlie Croughwell, Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; image of the DeLorean in Rome on page 223 Dean Cundey, Ed Eyth, Scott Farrar, Steve Gawley, Cara Giallanza, Todd courtesy of Oliver Holler; image of the “We’re Going Back” fan event on page 227 Hallowell, Scott Harris, Bones Howe, Joanna Johnston, Harry Keramidas, by Dallas Sterling; image of Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, and Alan Silvestri from Mark Klastorin, Max Kleven, Marty Kline, Mary Anne Lantieri, Michael the production of Back to the Future Part III on page 229 by Ralph Nelson, Jr. Lantieri, Marvin Levy, John Loy, John Ludin, Steven Marble, Les Mayfield, David McGiffert, Marjorie McShirley, Mike Mills, Kenneth Myers, Ralph The Image of Christopher Lloyd and Seth MacFarlane on page 224 appears courtesy Nelson Jr., Lawrence Paull, Paul Pav, Kevin Pike, Pamela Eilerson Posey, of NBC Universal and Media Rights Capital. Andrew Probert, Ken Ralston, Peyton Reed, Michael Scheffe, Artie Schmidt, Walter Scott, Sid Sheinberg, Alan Silvestri, Steve Starkey, Drew Struzan, Wes The image of Christopher Lloyd, Michael J. Fox, and Jimmy Kimmel on page 226 Takahashi, Judy Taylor, Douglas Trumball, Ed Verreaux, Simon Wells, Cheryl appears courtesy of American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wheeler-Dixon, and George Zaloom. Photo credits from Back to the Future: The Musical as follows: image of the curtain No less important are the contributions and support of the following, call from pages 220-221 courtesy of philtragen.com; the musical creative team on to whom we express our thanks: Sharon Atamaniuk, Michael Chien, Dale page 229, images of the miniature courthouse on page 232, the set on the bottom of Cohen, Doc Crotzer, Frank DeMartini, David deVos, Matthew Dicker, Samo page 233, Christopher Lloyd and Roger Bart on page 234, and the theater on page 236 Gale, Tina Gale, Tinker Hatfield, Terry and Oliver Holler, Kelsey Hornbach, by Bob Gale. All other images from pages 232-233 by Tim Hatley. All other images Dan Janison, Robert Katz, Rita Klastorin, Rob Klein, Justin Lubin, Pam from the production of Back to the Future: The Musical by Sean Ebsworth Barnes. McConnell, Mark Parker, Monique Perez, Matthew Richmond, Fabien Rigall, J. W. Rinzler, Tom Silknitter, Michael Singer, Faye Thompson, Nina Produced by Tringali, Joe Walser, Jerry Wertman, Glen Ballard, Roger Bart, Cassy Brewer, PO Box 3088 Olly Dobson, Josh Gad, Tim Hatley, Colin Ingram, Tucker Nesbitt, John San Rafael, CA 94912 Rando, Bobby Bank, Jeff Tucker, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth MacFarlane, and www.insighteditions.com Jamie Richardson. Publisher: Raoul Goff At Universal Pictures: Jamie Braucht, Cindy Chang, Amy Hofto, Roni President: Kate Jerome Lubliner, Kelli Matthews, Shahrook Oomer, Jeff Pirtle, and Michael Ribak. Associate Publisher: Vanessa Lopez Creative Director: Chrissy Kwasnik To Robbie Schmidt, Vanessa Lopez, Jon Glick, and Chris Prince at VP of Manufacturing: Alix Nicholaeff Insight Editions—thank you for your faith, confidence, enthusiasm, and Designer: Jon Glick guidance. Managing Editor: Lauren LePera Executive Editor: Chris Prince Randy, there’s no one else I would rather have had in the DeLorean Editorial Assistant: Harrison Tunggal taking this journey with me. Your contributions, knowledge, enthusiasm, Production Editor: Rachel Anderson and Jennifer Bentham and hard work were invaluable. Production Manager: Anna Wan This book is dedicated to my beloved Ardemis Freeland. You are, you Insight Editions would like to thank the following individuals for their contribu- always have been, and you always will be . . . my density. tions to this revised edition of the book: Lola Villanueva (designer); Greg Solano (editorial support). —Michael Klastorin, 2015/2020 For the latest information from the Back to the Future fan community, please visit: Insight Editions, in association with Roots of Peace, will plant two trees for each tree used in the manufacturing of this book. Manufactured in China by Insight Editions 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1