BACK TO THE FUTURE Series Writer Bob Gale Has a Hilariously Blunt Response to Sequel Talk
In an era where nearly every beloved franchise gets a sequel, reboot, or "legacyquel," there’s one that remains untouched despite constant requests: Back to the Future.
No matter how many times filmmakers Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale have shut down the idea of a fourth installment, people just keep asking.
Well, Gale has had enough, and he’s not mincing words.
“People always say, ‘When are you guys going to do a Back to the Future 4?’” Gale said (via Collider). “And we say f-ck you. And you can quote me on this.”
That’s about as definitive an answer as you can get.
Gale, who co-wrote and produced the trilogy went on to explain why they’ve never returned to Hill Valley. Unlike some franchises that keep stretching their stories until they lose what made them special, Back to the Future was always meant to be a complete, self-contained trilogy.
The demand for more was strong enough to inspire a stage musical, but Gale insists there’s no need for another movie.
“We made three terrific movies, and people kept asking for more Back to the Future, so we made Back to the Future: The Musical, which Chris [Lloyd] and Lea [Thompson] have attended on several occasions… We’re taking it around the world.”
Zemeckis, the director and co-writer of the trilogy, previously said a fourth movie wouldn’t happen, and even when discussing the musical last year, he suggested that if anything were to be adapted, it would be the stage production abd not a direct sequel.
He previously said “I would like to do Back to the Future: The Musical. Just like [Mel Brooks] did with The Producers. I would love to do that. I think that would be great.”
Universal wasn’t interested, though. “I’ve floated that one out to the folks at Universal, but they don’t get it. So, there’s nothing I can do.”
Yeah, I didn’t care for the Back To The Future musical and I would have no interest in seeing it adapted into a film. It just wasn’t very good.
And if you’re wondering whether Universal could ever move forward with a Back to the Future reboot or sequel without Gale and Zemeckis, the answer is a firm no.
Gale previously said that their contracts prevent any such thing until both he and Zemeckis are gone. He added:
“I’m sure Universal would love it if we were to say to them, ‘Hey, let’s do another one.’ But we don’t think we could ever make a fourth one that would live up to how great the first three are, so we’re going to leave well enough alone.”
Yeah, just leave the Back To The Future franchise alone.