Robert Zemeckis, the Oscar-winning director behind the original Back to the Future trilogy, recently dropped a tantalizing tidbit for fans of Marty McFly and Doc Brown. He’d love to bring the franchise back to the big screen—but not in the way you’re probably thinking. Instead of another time-hopping sequel, Zemeckis is eyeing Back to the Future: The Musical for a feature film adaptation. Yes, really. Think Mel Brooks’ The Producers, but with a flux capacitor.
Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote his new film Here, Zemeckis said that producing a musical movie is definitely on his bucket list. “I floated that out to the folks at Universal. They don’t get it. So, nothing I can do,” Zemeckis admitted, sounding a bit exasperated. And honestly, it’s a real head-scratcher that Universal isn’t on board with the idea, given how popular nostalgia-driven projects have been lately.
A New (Singing) Era for the Time-Travel Classic?
The Back to the Future stage musical has already been pretty successful on its own. It opened in London’s West End in 2021, snagging the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2022. Broadway caught the wave in August 2023, and a national tour is set to begin in June 2024. Despite its accolades, it looks like Universal isn’t convinced a film adaptation will be worth the ride. But there’s definitely some precedent here—after all, Mel Brooks successfully pulled off a musical-turned-film with The Producers, and there’s a long tradition of movie musicals cashing in big when handled right.
The Franchise Keeps Rolling—With or Without a Movie Musical
It’s no secret that any proper sequel or reboot to Back to the Future won’t happen unless Zemeckis and his longtime collaborator Bob Gale give it their blessing. So far, both creators have been pretty firm in their stance that there’s no need for a Part 4. And yet, the franchise has continued to grow—Back to the Future: The Musical, written by Gale himself with music by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, is just one example of how they’ve expanded the story beyond its original trilogy.
There’s also Back to the Future: The Ride, which opened at Universal Studios in 1991 and brought fans face-to-face with Biff Tannen through a wild simulation. The same year, an animated series extended the adventures of Marty, Doc, and the Brown family, complete with Christopher Lloyd dropping in for live-action segments and Dan Castellaneta of The Simpsons fame voicing the animated Doc. There’s even a Telltale video game from 2010 that has Marty back in action, rescuing a young Doc in 1931. All of these projects highlight one thing: Zemeckis and Gale have never been shy about exploring the universe of Back to the Future, just not in the straightforward sequel form that Hollywood usually prefers.
Could A Movie Musical Really Work?
Sure, movie musicals are hit or miss, but the idea of turning Back to the Future: The Musical into a film seems to fit right in with Hollywood’s current fixation on adaptations and reboots. Let’s not forget Mean Girls: The Musical from earlier this year—an adaptation of a musical that adapted a movie that was based on a self-help book—which managed to rake in $104.8 million against a $36 million budget. If Mean Girls can pull that off, then surely a beloved classic like Back to the Future has a shot.
The musical film could be a way to bring the beloved franchise to a whole new audience, with all the songs and dances you never knew Marty and Doc needed. It’s about time—no pun intended—that Back to the Future took a leap into a new medium, and Zemeckis seems like just the right mad scientist to make that happen.
Don’t Hold Your Breath
Despite all the potential, it looks like Zemeckis’ hopes for a movie adaptation of the musical have been dashed. The Broadway production may have been met with good reviews and even a couple of Tony nominations, but ticket sales have struggled, and the show is set to close in January 2025. Plus, Universal seems reluctant to hop in the DeLorean for this musical journey, leaving fans to imagine what could’ve been. Still, one can hope that a creative pitch—or a sudden surge in musical nostalgia—might bring Zemeckis’ idea back to life.
For now, we’ll just have to settle for the stage show, the old films, and our wistful dreams of what could’ve been. Hey, when it comes to Back to the Future, anything is possible—just maybe not a singing, dancing Marty anytime soon.
