Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis has revealed that he is interested in making a new Back to the Future trilogy, which premiered between 1985 and 1990, following the continued adventures of mad scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and his teenage companion Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox). The trilogy was a massive success, cumulatively earning more than $950 million at the box office, though Zemeckis has previously stated that he has no interest in helming a fourth installment in the franchise.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote his new film, Here, Zemeckis was asked if there was anything that he'd like to tackle before he retires, such as a genre that he hadn't worked in before, or an actor that he hadn't worked with yet. The director responded by saying that he would like to produce Back to the Future: The Musical as a feature film, not unlike the filmed version of the Broadway production adapting Mel Brooks' The Producers.

The stage musical version of Back to the Future opened in London's West End in 2021 to rave reviews, receiving the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2022. The show moved to Broadway in August 2023, with a national touring production beginning in June of 2024. However, it doesn't look like the movie adaptation will happen, as Zemeckis has already pitched the idea at Universal and "they don't get it." Read Zemeckis' full quote below:

I would like to do the Back to the Future, the musical. Just like [Mel] Brooks did The Producers. I would love to do that. I think that would be great… I floated that out to the folks at Universal. They don't get it. So, nothing I can do.

What A Musical Film Would Mean For Back To The Future

It Would Continue To Expand On The Franchise

It's widely known that a proper sequel or reboot to Back to the Future is not possible without the authorization of Zemeckis and cowriter/producer Bob Gale, both of whom have stated they will never give the go ahead. However, that hasn't stopped them from fleshing out the franchise. Back to the Future: The Musical, which had music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard and a book by Gale himself, was not the first time that the films were expanded beyond the original trilogy.

Back to the Future: The Ride opened at Universal Studios in May 1991. Riders of the simulation ride engaged in a race through time in pursuit of Biff Tannen, who had stolen the Delorean time machine. The ride featured appearances by Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson, reprising their roles from the films. That same year, the Saturday morning cartoon Back to the Future: The Animated Series debuted, continuing the time-traveling adventures of Marty, Doc, and the Brown family. Developed by Gale, The Animated Series featured voice contributions from Mary Steenburgen and Wilson, and a weekly live-action appearance from Lloyd.

The animated Doc Brown was voiced by The Simpsons' Dan Castellaneta.

The series was further fleshed out by Telltale's Back to the Future: The Game, which was released in 2010. Taking place six months after Back to the Future Part III, the game has Marty traveling to 1931 to rescue Doc, enlisting the help of a reluctant teenage version of Doc to do so. The game features voice work from Lloyd, Wilson, the original Jennifer (Claudia Wells), and even a cameo from Michael J. Fox. Additionally, in 2015, IDW launched the Back to the Future comic book series, which was overseen and occasionally written by Gale.

There Is Precedent For An Adaptation Of Back To The Future: The Musical

The Movie-Musical-Movie Pipeline Is Still Intact

While ticketbuyers can be fickle in their of movie musicals, some major hits in the genre have come from movies adapting stage musical adaptations of pre-existing IP. While this includes the 2005 movie The Producers, as referenced in Zemeckis' quote, the 1986 hit Little Shop of Horrors existed in the same space, adapting the Ashman and Menken musical that in turn adapted the 1960 Roger Corman B-movie of the same name.

There could still be room in the modern movie marketplace for a Back to the Future musical adaptation.

This phenomenon has continued into the modern age. Most recently, the 2024 movie musical Mean Girls became a success, grossing $104.8 million against its $36 million budget. As that movie was an adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical adapting the 2004 teen movie adapting the 2002 self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, it has a long IP history that shows there could still be room in the modern movie marketplace for a Back to the Future musical adaptation.

Our Take On A Back To The Future Musical Film

It Will Likely Never Happen

The Back to the Future musical opened to good reviews on Broadway and received two Tony nominations — one for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Roger Bart's portrayal of Doc Brown, and the other for Best Scenic Design of a Musical. It also has a production in Tokyo, as well as productions in Los Angeles and on a Royal Caribbean cruise. However, hopes for a feature film version of the musical may have been recently squashed with the announcement that the Broadway production will be closing in January 2025 due to low ticket sales after opening in 2023.

Source: Happy Sad Confused