The world has been in love with the “Back to the Future” trilogy since it debuted in 1985, and now, 30 years later, it’s still a big deal. So big that Universal Pictures just announced plans for a new trilogy. But there are a few key cast members who won’t be returning as their characters. Here’s why Biff and Doc Brown aren’t in the new “Back to the Future” films.
Alan Silvestri, who is composing the music for the new films, sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss why Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) and Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd) aren’t going to be part of the new trilogy. There are two reasons: age and timeline inconsistencies.
The first film is set in 1985 and it follows Marty (Michael J Fox) as he tries to get back to his time after Doc Brown accidentally sends him 30 years into the past. The second film takes place five years later, in 2015, and Marty must go back to 1955 yet again after an issue with his children ends up altering his future timeline. The third film goes back in time even further than 1955; this time
Yesterday, we dove into the world of Back to the Future to find out what happened to Doc Brown and Biff because they’re not in the new trilogy.
I’ve been a fan of the original trilogy since I was a kid. In honor of Back to the Future Day, I decided to dig into some behind-the-scenes secrets about this classic movie series.
One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Back to the Future is why Doc Brown and Biff aren’t in the new trilogy. The short answer is that Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson were busy with other projects. But there’s more than just scheduling conflicts at work here.
Keep reading to find out why Doc Brown and Biff weren’t in Back to the Future 2, 3 or 4.
If you ever wanted to see a Back to the Future sequel where Marty McFly and Doc Brown run into Biff Tannen, the bad guy of the trilogy, you’re out of luck. Even though actor Thomas F. Wilson is game for reprising his role as Biff, the actor says that he hasn’t been invited back to the franchise.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Wilson was asked if he would be interested in a cameo in a possible new Back to the Future film. “Oh, sure!” Wilson said. “That’d be fun! I remember once contemplating making a video of me going up to people’s houses on Halloween and ringing the doorbell dressed as old Biff from 2015 or 2016.”
Wilson says that he has no clue whether or not a new Back to the Future film is being made, but if it was, he’d like to be involved. “But I haven’t been contacted about any of that,” he said. “I don’t know who you talk to about that kind of thing.”
It’s a little strange to see changes like that made in the latest round of movie reboots, especially when you consider that many of the actors from the original films are still alive and working today. While it’s certainly true that some series have been able to make casting changes work for them – for instance, James Bond has changed dozens of times over the years – there are also plenty of examples where making major changes like this has led to disaster.
Take, for example, the recent Ben-Hur remake. In that film, Jack Huston plays the lead role of Judah Ben-Hur, while Toby Kebbell plays his former best friend Messala. However, while Huston is a decent actor in his own right, many fans found themselves wishing that Charlton Heston’s Judah would show up to put him in his place. Not only was Heston an instantly recognizable actor who had already played the role before, but he also brought with him all of the gravitas and authority necessary to make this sort of story work. His absence was felt heavily by fans and critics alike; after all, casting a beloved character is as important as any other aspect of filmmaking these days.
This same problem exists with Back to the Future. Michael
“Back to the Future” fans were devastated last week to learn that Jennifer Tilly is not returning for the animated series “Back to the Future: The Animated Series,” but as she explained at a New York Comic-Con panel, she’s not the only original cast member who won’t be back.
Tilly told a packed room at the Javits Center that her co-stars Christopher Lloyd, who played mad scientist Doc Brown, and Thomas F. Wilson, who played villainous jock Biff Tannen and his decendants, also will be absent from the show.
“They’re not doing it,” Tilly said of her costars. “I don’t know why. I think they’re busy.”
Universal has yet to confirm Tilly’s statement, but producer Bob Gale didn’t dispute it when we asked him last week why Lloyd wouldn’t be voicing Doc Brown again.
“Well… I guess we’ll just have to see what happens,” Gale said. “I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
The possibility of another Back to the Future film has been rumored for years, and now, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale have finally confirmed that they have been approached about continuing the series. But even though both are open to returning to the franchise with a fresh story, it won’t be a remake or reboot. And that means Christopher Lloyd won’t necessarily be back as Doc Brown.
After the announcement on Friday, I spoke with Gale by phone to clear up some questions about what this would mean for the beloved sci-fi trilogy. He told me that although all parties are interested in making a new installment, there’s no guarantee it will happen. According to Gale, nothing is being developed at Amblin Entertainment yet — it’s just an idea that producer Frank Marshall brought up over dinner one night.
Zemeckis and Gale haven’t decided on a plot for the potential new film, but Gale did reveal that he doesn’t think Michael J. Fox will be involved because Marty McFly was too closely tied to his own personal struggles with Parkinson’s disease. “I think we might have mentioned Parkinson’s in Back to the Future Part II when Marty visits 2015, but I
