36 Years Later, Back to the Future 4 Gets Honest Answer From Co-Creator Following New Project

Though the Back to the Future franchise has been expanded into a variety of mediums, there are only three official feature films. Some fans have called for a fourth installment to be made over the past 36 years, but no one should be getting their hopes up.

Bob Gale, who co-created the franchise with director Robert Zemeckis, is setting the record straight once and for all about Back to the Future 4. In a new interview with ScreenRant, Gale stressed out a fourth movie is "never" going to happen, and that he and Zemeckis have felt this way ever since the release of Back to the Future Part III in 1990. This basically comes down to the story feeling complete after the third film, which was further sealed following Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's diagnosis.

No Michael J. Fox Means No Back to the Future 4

As Gale explained, "All the time since part three, people have been saying, 'When are you guys going to do part four? When are you guys going to do part four?' And the answer is either: 'Never, or f--k you.'"

"We put the end at the end of part three because it was the end," he continued. "And then when Michael J. Foxannounced he had Parkinson's disease, it was like, 'Okay, do you want to see a Back to the Future movie without Michael J. Fox?' And whenever anybody asks me, 'What about a part four?' And then I respond with that. They kind of take a step back, and they say, 'Oh, well, maybe not.'"

Gale further noted how it would just be impossible to make a new movie that could live up to the original trilogy, adding, "When you go back to the well too many times, the water doesn't taste very good anymore." That closes the door for a new feature film happening, but it was still wide open to further explore the story of Back to the Future in other mediums. That's what led to the stage musical adaptation. Gale also shared how the idea for Back to the Future: The Musical came about.

A New Back to the Future Project Was Recently Released

"The reason it became a musical, as often, these things are just sort of happy accidents. Bob Zemeckis and his wife, Leslie, were in New York City in 2005, and they saw Mel Brooks' The Producers," he said. "They were walking out of the theater, and Leslie turned to Bob, and she said, 'Back to the Future would make a really good stage musical. Have you ever thought about that?' And he said, 'Well, you might be right. I'm going to kick that around with Bob Gale.'"

Gale was interested in the idea, and Back to the Future: The Musical was born. The musical was first launched in 2020 and became a big success, going on to win an Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2022. Last month, a making-of documentary about the musical, dubbed A Future on Stage, was released on digital platforms, and it featured a new interview with Fox discussing the franchise's legacy.

The franchise has also found success in other mediums. This includes an episodic video game series by Telltale Games, titled Back to the Future: The Game. It featured voice acting by a handful of franchise stars, including Christopher Lloyd, Claudia Wells, Tom Wilson, and even Fox himself, who returned to voice one of Marty McFly's ancestors. Many fans consider this game to be Back to the Future 4, even if it's not a feature film.