Actor Christopher Lloyd, best known for his portrayal of Doc Brown in Back To the Future and Fester Addams in the Addams Family hopes that the next film in the Back to the Future franchise is about climate change.
Everyone’s favorite mad scientist reflected about a possible fourth film for the franchise while making an appearance at the Niagara Falls Comic Con. According to Comicbook.com, the actor noted a potential fourth film in the franchise should have a message like climate change.
Lloyd stated:
“I think somehow it needs to kind of convey a message about something that’s important to everyone, universally, like climate change. Some way of incorporating whatever fever is going on at the moment into the film and keep the feeling of one, two and three.”
Though the actor seems game; he knows the risks of attempting to revive a franchise that hasn’t seen a new movie in decades. He noted, “That’s a tricky, tricky deal. Because you don’t want to do another one and disappoint. So I don’t know. I’d be happy to, for myself. But we’ll see.”
Lloyd also complemented working with fellow co-star Michael J. Fox on the Back to the Future trilogy. He stated it was “very easy,” for the pair to work with one another. The chemistry was so good that they just melded together easily during shoots.
“He was who he was, I was who I am, and there was never any awkward anything. We just knew how to be our characters with each other, and it was very comfortable. He has a great sense of humor and intelligence.”
In fact, Lloyd even suggested that Michael J. Fox should be apart of the film. Fox revealed in March that he was having issues with his spinal cord on top of his fight with Parkinson’s.
Lloyd commented, “His Parkinson’s, he has it, but it’s kind of, ‘So what?’ He just moves ahead. It’s very cool.” He added, “A couple months ago there was like a bunch of us, Back to the Future [cast], Tom Wilson and Lea Thompson … we had a panel with all of us, and Michael just goes forth and talks, breaks people up, so it’s very cool.”
Climate Change in Back to the Future?
While Lloyd noted that he would be interested in seeing a fourth Back to the Future film about climate change, it’s hard to really figure out how that would work in a film franchise that allows one to travel to the future and to the past. One would suspect that scientists would have figured out terraforming technology sometime in the future making any complaints about climate change null and void.
In fact, the film has already addressed issues with waste management as the first film introduced us to the idea that flying cars could be powered by human waste and garbage. In fact, Doc Brown makes it clear that the future doesn’t even need roads!
Back to the Future 4 a Possibility?
Is Lloyd’s excitement about a Back to the Future even a possibility? Will we see the DeLorean be pulled out of mothballs? The short answer is no.
Series creator Robert Zemeckis is beyond adamant that there will not be a reboot or a sequel to the original Back to the Future trilogy.
Zemeckis told the Telegraph, “Oh, God no.” He added, “That can’t happen until both Bob and I are dead. And then I’m sure sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it.” He continued, “I mean, to me, that’s outrageous. Especially since it’s a good movie. It’s like saying ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane. Who are we going to get to play Kane?’ What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?”
Zemeckis’s co-writer Bob Gale has also ruled out a potential sequel during an appearance at a convention in 2008. Gale stated, “The idea of making another Back to the Future movie without Michael J Fox – you know, that’s like saying, ‘I’m going to cook you a steak dinner and I’m going to hold the beef.'”
However, Bob Gale did team up with IDW for a Back to the Future comic book series. Gale described the series:
“We’ve subtitled this ‘Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines’ because for years, fans have asked questions about things that happened before the events of the trilogy, in between the events of the trilogy, or in our alternate realities. In this series, we’ll finally answer some of those questions, with our focus squarely on the characters everyone loves.”
Zemeckis also reiterated he did not want to see a fourth film made in an interview with Yahoo Movies UK. When asked if he was still against making a fourth film Zemeckis responded:
“Oh god yes. But I think what the poll is saying… they asked a specific question, so I guess they felt it was important to spend money to poll the world, and ask this question, but don’t you think we could all have just given them the same answer? It confirms what we all know, but what I think the fans are really saying is that we really like this movie and if it were possible I’d like more of it. But they understand that it can’t be done.”
It doesn’t look like a Back to the Future 4 is happening any time soon. But even if all the stars align, does Christopher Lloyd’s idea sound good? let me know what you think in the comments below!