Director Robert Zemeckis expresses strong interest in overseeing a musical adaptation of Back to the Future.
Director Robert Zemeckis expresses strong interest in overseeing a musical adaptation of Back to the Future.
Recent chat on theHappy Sad Confused podcast (as reported by Variety) saw Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis reaffirm his lack of interest in helming a fourth movie in the series, albeit with a slight exception.
During the discussion, Zemeckis was asked if Universal constantly requests that legendary fourth Back to the Future film from him. His response? "Oh, every six months." Although he later acknowledged his statement was an overexaggeration, the director admitted that the studio's appeals for a new instalment aren't too far off from the frequency he'd suggested. He even mimicked Universal's pleas, asking, "Isn’t there anything we can figure out to do here? Isn’t there anything we can do?’”
To maintain diplomacy, Zemeckis typically replies with a pretense of potential opportunities. "You know, we have to say, ‘There are different things that might work,'" he said. However, a direct sequel or suggesting a Back to the Future 4 isn't in the cards, according to him.
Despite dismissing the idea of a direct sequel, Zemeckis expressed interest in directing a film adaptation of the current Broadway musical, Back to the Future: The Musical. "I would like to do [a movie based on] Back to the Future: The Musical," he stated. "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, [there’s] nothing I can do."
The musical, featuring original songs like "It Works!" and "My Myopia," as well as tunes from the film such as "Johnny B. Goode," "Earth Angel," and "The Power of Love," opened on Broadway in August 2023. It was nominated for two Tony Awards and took home the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2022.
However, the Broadway run of the musical is coming to an end, potentially leaving a Back to the Future: The Musical-shaped void only Zemeckis himself could fill.
As for series leads Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, Fox has consistently echoed Zemeckis' sentiments about a fourth film, remarking in a different article for Variety, "Do what you want. It’s your movie. I got paid already."
Lloyd, however, has historically been more receptive to the idea. In the same piece, Lloyd responded, "I would love to do a sequel, but I think Bob Zemeckis and [producer Steven] Spielberg felt that they told the story in the three episodes. But if somebody has a brilliant idea that would justify a fourth film, it might happen.”
In an exciting development, IO9 recently reported that Robert Zemeckis expressed interest in directing a movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, 'Back to the Future: The Musical.' Despite Universal seemingly overlooking this opportunity, the future of bringing this musical to the big screen remains intriguing.
Moreover, as technology continues to evolve, there's potential for innovative ways to explore the 'Back to the Future' universe, possibly sparking discussions about a potential fourth movie in the series.