Back to the Future 35th Anniversary: Five fun facts you may not have known

Ahead of its 35th anniversary, here are five fun facts about Back to the Future

Great Scott! It’s hard to believe that Back to the Future will be celebrating its 35th anniversary on July 3. That means it’s been 35 years since Marty McFly hopped in Doc Brown’s DeLorean and traveled back in time to 1955, where he met his parents and disrupted the space-time continuum.

Back to the Future was an instant hit with both fans and critics, receiving three Oscar nominations and propelling Michael J. Fox to superstardom. The success of the first film spawned two sequels, which premiered in 1989 and 1990, respectively.

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Did you know that another actor played Marty McFly before Fox? What actor was the first choice to play Doc Brown? Check out these fun five fun facts you may not have known.

Eric Stolz was originally cast in the role of Marty McFly

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Michael J. Fox playing the charming and funny Marty McFly. However, that was the case when Back to the Future started filming. Although Fox was the first choice to play the character, he was committed to his role on the hit sitcom, Family Ties, and could not get adjust his schedule. Director Robert Zemeckis instead cast Eric Stolz to play the lead role.

After five weeks of filming, Zemeckis realized that Stolz was miscast due to his lack of comedic presence with the role. When Fox’s schedule opened up, Zemeckis fired Stolz, hired Fox, and the rest was history.

John Lithgow was the first choice to play Doc Brown

Just like with Michael J. Fox and Marty McFly, the notion of someone other than Christopher Lloyd playing Doc Brown is an unfathomable idea. Once again, there was another actor up for the part. John Lithgow, who currently stars in HBO’s Perry Mason, was the studio’s first choice to play the mad scientist. When Lithgow was unavailable, Lloyd was cast as Doc.

Melora Hardin was let go because of her height

Stolz was not the only actor dismissed from the original production. Melora Hardin, who is best known for her role as Jan on The Office, was cast as Jennifer Parker, Marty’s girlfriend. Once Stolz was replaced with Fox, Hardin was let go as well because she was too tall for Fox. Hardin never shot any scenes for the film. Claudia Wells stepped in and replaced Hardin.

Back to the Future became the highest-grossing film of 1985

Superheroes, sequels, and well-known IP are the films that typically dominate the box office in today’s society. In fact, the highest-grossing film in every year since 2015 has belonged to Marvel or Star Wars. It’s so rare to see original ideas top the box office in 2020. That wasn’t the case in 1985 as Back to the Future became the highest-grossing film of the year. After its release, Back to the Future was the top film at the box office for 11 out of 12 weeks.

Huey Lewis makes a cameo as a judge for Battle of the
Bands

The most iconic song from the blockbuster is “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News. The smash-hit peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and received an Oscar nomination for Best Orginal Song. In the film, Huey Lewis makes a cameo as one of the judges for the Battle of the Bands. Ironically, Marty fails the audition after playing “The Power of Love.”

What is your favorite scene from Back to the Future? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Stream Back to the Future on Netflix.