Michael J. Fox is writing a book about his ‘Back to the Future’ days, screenwriter reveals: 'I don't know if I'm supposed to say that'
Bob Gale, who wrote the trilogy's screenplays with director Robert Zemeckis, also shared his thoughts about a potential "Back to the Future 4."
Michael J. Fox appears to be heading back to the future — at least when it comes to putting his memories of the popular film trilogy on paper.
After taking home the George Pal Memorial Award at the Saturn Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, Bob Gale, co-writer-producer on Back to the Future, let slip that the actor is writing a book called Future Boy about his experience on the films, the first of which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that,” Gale said in the press room, alongside the films’ stars Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd. “But …”
“You did,” Thompson added. “You said the F-word, too.”
A representative for Fox did not immediately respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment.
Nelle Fortenberry, a television producer who serves on the board of directors of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, wrote on her LinkedIn page that she is writing the book with Fox.
“I am currently writing a book with Michael J. Fox about his experiences filming his two most famous roles simultaneously in 1985,” Fortenberry's LinkedIn said. “During those hectic months, he filmed Family Ties during the day and Back to the Future at night. The book will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the release of Back to the Future.”
Fortenberry has not responded to Yahoo’s request for comment.
Gale, who co-wrote the three scripts with the film’s director Robert Zemeckis, also responded directly when asked if there would be a Back to the Future 4. The second film opened in 1989, followed by the third and, so far, final installment in 1990.
“People always say, ‘When are you going to do Back to the Future 4, and we say, ‘F*** you.’”
The movies tell the story of a 1980s high school student, Marty McFly (Fox), who travels back in time to 1955 with the help of his scientist friend Doc Brown (Lloyd) and a tricked-out DeLorean, and fatefully connects with his parents. It has also been adapted for the stage, as a globally touring musical and a production that will be mounted on a cruise ship, for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Gale said.
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“So, my God, Back to the Future, I’m going to be doing it for the rest of my life,” he added.
Accepting the award along with Gale and Thompson, Lloyd said that so many kids have told him how important the films were to them. Thompson added that Back to the Future was a “substitute” for what they weren’t getting anywhere else.
“The future is yours to make,” Lloyd said, riffing on a line from the film. “Make it a good one.”
For a screenplay that Gale said had been rejected 42 times before it finally landed at Universal Pictures, the subsequent trilogy has had a lasting impact on generations of audiences. The Saturn Award recipients shared reminiscences of the film’s impact on their own work.
“It’s not really horror or Alien” that influenced Alien: Romulus, the movie's co-writer and director Fede Alvarez told Yahoo Entertainment at the event. “It was more like Back to the Future and fantasy films.”
“I can’t believe I saw Bob Gale out there," Alvarez added. "I’m truly excited. The DeLorean and Lea Thompson [were] out there. Still can’t believe it.”
Fox himself told a Rhode Island Comic Con audience in November, “I didn’t know what the hell I was getting into," before calling the first film “one of the few perfect movies."
Thompson appeared equally surprised at the films’ reception.
“We never expected this to happen,” she told Yahoo Entertainment of the impact the films have had on new generations of fans. “It's shocking, because when we do Comic Cons and see the audience, over half of the people weren’t born when the movie was made. What a gift is that?”
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