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November 30, 1999
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©1995-99, To Be Continued...
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“BTTF4/5” on again?
Sources say formal announcement is imminent
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! I have wonderful news at hand that should make your Christmas merrier and your holiday happier — Back to the Future 4 and Back to the Future 5 are on again! It seems that they never really were "off" to begin with, but it sure seemed that way there for a while. While demand for a sequel seems to remain quite high over at the Hollywood Stock Exchange, there's no doubt whatsoever that our readers are eager to see a continuation, judging from the emails we receive and the postings left on our Message Board. So on this merriest of days, BTTF.com presents this gift to you...
When we last received a status report on the sequels from our anonymous source, Robert Zemeckis had vetoed Universal & Amblin's script treatment for BTTF4/5 which was penned by Ed Solomon, and the project went back to square one. It was unclear at the time as to whether there was continued interest in the project from Universal & Amblin, and it was believed that since Universal was riding high on the wave of success again, that the plans would be shelved indefinitely.
Well, lo and behold, our wonder-source has come through once again to perk up our eyes & ears with the latest exciting news: "Universal & Amblin are very keen on a brand new script for the two sequels that has been turned in by a new writer." The identity of this mystery writer has not been revealed to me yet, but enough hints were tossed around which leads me to believe that I know who the writer is. More on that in a minute.
Apparently, the two companies are quite pleased with the scripts. So much, that a formal announcement will be made in the normal Hollywood trades (The Hollywood Reporter, Variety) sometime in early January. From what I've been told outright and have gathered from reading between the lines, the announcement will state that the project is definitely in development, will most likely name the new writer and the production team that's assembling for the project, and will probably give a target date for start of production and the tentative projected release dates. It's doubtful that even a hint of a storyline will be given this early in the game, but anything's possible at this point.
Okay, I know you all have many questions regarding this information, so let's see what blanks I can fill in for you so far. I suppose you can consider this our FAQ for the sequels, since these are indeed the most frequently asked questions we get regarding them...
"Will Robert Zemeckis sit at the helm once again?"
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is a resounding "No" according to my source. I'm told that Zemeckis will not direct these new sequels, which is no big surprise, given previous details uncovered this year and the amount of other projects on the director's massive plate. I am told, however, that Zemeckis will be involved, serving as an executive producer for the two films along with three other names that have not yet been revealed to me.
"Who is the new writer?"
My source told me that they could not divulge the name of the writer just yet, but assured me that I was very familiar with his work. I'm told that the new writer introduced a script that he had already written, and that the studios were very keen on the ideas proposed within. In so many words, this information leads me to suspect that none other than Bob Gale is this new screenwriter. While I cannot entirely rule out other names that have been proposed in the past several months as possible candidates, I'm probably 98% sure that Gale is this new mystery writer. After years of speculation, my theory that Gale secretly had a completed script stashed away was somewhat confirmed back in October when our source got Robert Zemeckis to comment on the duo's previous interest in reviving the series with story ideas. It's never been any secret that the writing team approached Universal back in 1987 with mounds of ideas for a sequel (Paradox) which was broken down into
two sequels because they didn't want to throw away any of their ideas. Regardless, there's never been any doubt in my mind that there were still unused ideas they had to shelve, and that some or all of those ideas had been put down on paper at one time. If Bob Gale ever got himself thinking on those leftover ideas long enough, it wouldn't take him long to whip out another script or two with plenty of other new ideas, so perhaps that's what we're looking at now. Even way back in July 1990 in an interview with Starlog, Gale admitted that one should never say never when it came to the question of doing more films, and even joked about them doing another film "20 years from now." Well, it's now been half that amount of time, and the timing for another trip couldn't be any better than now. Anyway, we should know for certain within a few weeks who the writer is and whether or not Gale's on board in any capacity.
"Who will direct if Zemeckis doesn't?"
From what I've been told, the decision has not yet been made. I understand, however, that the front-runner for the job is Joe Johnston, a newcomer to the BTTF series. You may know Johnston's name as the recently announced director to take the helm of the next Jurassic Park film for Universal/Amblin & Steven Spielberg. He also was the director of October Sky, Jumanji, The Pagemaster, The Rocketeer, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I don't know if Johnston will end up with the job or not, but he's got a pretty good track record so far, and the fact that Spielberg trusts him with the Jurassic franchise should be a really good vote of confidence in his favor. Back to the Future is among Universal's top two most successful franchises, second only to Jurassic Park, so the fact
that Universal & Amblin are considering Johnston to helm both franchises' continuations must mean that the guy has what it takes. And if you recall, we had been told earlier that Christopher Lloyd was only interested in doing the sequels if Zemeckis was involved. Well, he's involved, but just not in the role we're all most comfortable with. Will that make a difference to Lloyd though? I don't know, but at least Lloyd has worked with Johnston before — in 1994's The Pagemaster — so hopefully that will be another plus in Johnston's favor for the job. Still, I can't help but think that the studios are overlooking an obvious successor to the director's chair — Bob Gale is already primed for the job. He knows the source material and he knows the cast & crew, having worked with them multiple times.
"Who else from the original cast & crew are involved?"
At this point in time, I can only go with past information and assume that it's still correct. I would assume that both Christopher Lloyd and Mary Steenburgen would still be interested upon reading the scripts, and that Michael J. Fox will be in the mix somewhere, depending upon the story the new writer has developed. As far as other involved crew, I was not given any other names to pair with Zemeckis' in the group of four names to executive produce. Common sense tells me that the other three names wouldn't stray from the established team of Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. I was told long ago from my source that Kathleen Kennedy has definitely been involved with the development of BTTF4/5 from the very beginning. From what I've been told, everything crosses her desk regarding BTTF4/5's development, and she's keeping a watchful eye on the project as a whole. So I'd have to assume that she's one of the
other three unnamed executive producers. And since she rarely produces anything without her husband, Frank Marshall, I suspect he's another one of the three. Rounding out the group would no doubt include Spielberg, but I'm wondering if that elite group would be held to only four names. Afterall, I would assume that Bob Gale would have an additional role beyond screenwriter (if he is indeed the writer), perhaps again as a producer, or even as a fifth executive producer.
"What does the story involve this time?"
This much I cannot answer at this time, nor reveal what little I do know regarding the story. I'm told that some of its elements are similar in nature to what had been planned earlier this year with Ed Solomon's script treatments. If that holds up to indeed be the case, I'm intrigued already because of the potential that storyline held. I can only imagine what it would be like with Bob Gale's fingers at the keyboard. In any regard, it may be quite some time before we know what the story will entail for sure. I am told that Universal is presently reviewing the scripts, after some minor "polishing" took place over at Amblin.
"When would the films come out?"
Right now, I'm told that the films would tentatively come out in 2002 and 2003, respectively. I'm assuming this would be a scenario similar to BTTF2/3 a decade ago, with BTTF4 coming out during Thanksgiving or Christmas of 2002, and the follow-up to the story in BTTF5 being a Summer 2003 release. Strategically, I'd have to say that this is a relatively good plan, not having either sequel coming out during the Summer of 2002 when Star Wars, Episode II is expected.
That's about the gist of it for now. There are some other details regarding the project that I cannot discuss just yet, but the most important aspects of this are that the sequels are indeed in development, and that all indications point towards Zemeckis & Gale now being heavily involved. According to my source, we should be hearing something official regarding all this within a matter of weeks, so hopefully more of our questions will be answered at that time. With the pending announcment on the sequels, the long overdue release of the DVDs, the new games, and hopefully Future Fest, 2000 should be quite an interesting year, to say the very least!
The latest about the new Ride...
Not much has developed lately regarding the rumored new ridefilm for Universal Studios Japan's Back to the Future...The Ride when it debuts in April of 2001, with the exception that we know plans are going forward with other aspects of the attraction as we speak. We were notified by a friend over at DMC Houston several weeks ago that someone from Universal Studios Japan's Recreation Division had contacted them inquiring about purchasing a DeLorean so that they could mock it up as a time machine for the attraction, presumably for exterior usage around the attraction and throughout the park. It's not much to report about yet, but at least we know that this project is definitely moving forward.
Back to the Future to drop out of Top 25?
Looks like Disney has another huge hit on their hands with Toy Story 2 — so huge, that it will likely knock BTTF completely out of the Top 25 domestic box office champs of all time in a couple more weeks. Back to the Future took in at least $208.2 million back in 1985. Toy Story 2 presently stands at $163.7 million and rising rapidly. Boy, what a theatrical re-release would do for BTTF's box office right about now. Perhaps it would be a really good idea to re-release at least the first film back into theaters, not only to reclaim a higher spot on the list, but to also whet the appetities of audiences again, prepping them for the return of BTTF in a couple of years. Just something our friends at the studios should seriously consider...
Project updates
HARRY POTTER:
This is a new entry in the long list of projects Steven Spielberg is considering to direct. Cinescape reports that should Spielberg pass on the project, Robert Zemeckis is on the short list of interested directors wanting to helm this computer animated film based on the hit series of children's books. Spielberg is said to likely produce the film, whether he directs it or not. Spielberg will formally announce his next film within a matter of weeks, which is expected to be either Minority Report or A.I..
ROGER RABBIT 2:
Is this project on again? According to the Toronto Sun, a budget is being developed now with the intent of trying to cut down the figure the powers-that-be believe will cost to do this film — $220 million. Robert Zemeckis, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall are attached to executive produce, with Marshall still interested in directing this time out.
STUART LITTLE 2:
Michael J. Fox was recently quoted in USA Today that he's up for a sequel if Sony's really serious about their intentions to do another film after the successful debut of the first film last weekend. The paper also confirms his participation in Disney's upcoming film Atlantis, in which Fox voices the film's main character "Milo Thatcher".
BTTF.com wishes you and yours a Happy Holiday Season, and hopes Santa left just the right goodies under your tree...
— Stephen Clark
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