Bob Gale, the screenwriter behind the iconic sci-fi adventure franchiseBack to the Future, has shared his take on the possibility of a sequel. Gale, who co-wrote the first film with Robert Zemeckis and then took care of the rest by himself,candidly says “F**k you” to all those who keep asking. And that’s a direct quote.
The writer joined Christopher Lloyd (Emmett “Doc” Brown) and Lea Thompson (Lorraine Baines McFly, a.k.a. Marty’s mom) at the Saturn Awards to talk about the legacy of the franchise. PerCollider, Gale is in tune with whatZemeckis and others have said in the past:
“People always say ‘when are you guys going to do Back to the Future 4?’ And we say ‘F**k you.‘And you’re able to quote me on this.”
Created by Gale and Zemeckis, and with thefull support of executive producer Steven Spielberg during his run as Hollywood’s whiz kid in the 1980s,Back to the Futurewas a massive hit. It made over $381 million at the box office from a production budget of $19 million with a chunk of the budget going towards reshoots after Eric Stoltz was replaced by Michael J. Fox.
It was the most successful film of 1985 and received four Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Sound. Curiously, the groundbreaking visual effectswere not recognizedwith an Oscar nomination. Additionally, home video sales and rentals were a home run,with the movie breaking the record for the most-rented VHS tape of 1986.
AfterBack to the Futurebecame a major hit, Universal Pictures began asking Gale and Zemeckis for a sequel.Initially, the creative duo behind the time-travel movie didn’t like the idea. They felt that a sequel could affect the legacy that the first film had built. But after a few discussions, they were convinced to doBack to the Future Part II. Mainly because Universal Pictures would have gone forward without them, and the"To Be Continued" caption had already been placed at the end of the movie in the home release.
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Ironically, Zemeckis and Gale not only agreed to do one, buttwosequels.Back to the Future Part IIandBack to the Future Part IIIwere shot back-to-back and released on July 07, 2025, and July 19, 2025, respectively, and both were also successful at the box office.The third film ended things beautifully, making it unnecessary to revisit the characters or their stories. And nothing followed after that. Well, at least no movies were made.
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Back to the Future is a classic and beloved franchise. But, which quotes send us on a blast to the past to the 1980s?
Back to the Future: The Musicalpremiered in 2020. Written by Gale, with music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri (original composer of the films) and Glen Ballard, the live musical received mixed reviews, with many praising the impressive effects and production design. It evenfeatures a recreation of the famous DeLoreanon stage.
In fact,it’s what Gale often uses as a response when fans ask about a fourthBack to the Futuremovie. This is what he said to Collider:
“We made three terrific movies andpeople kept asking for more ‘Back to the Future,‘so we made ‘Back to the Future: The Musical,‘which Chris and Lea have attended on several occasions.”
In times when the film industry seems to rely on old IPs being sucked dry without mercy,a new sequel toBack to the Futurewould be a huge deal. It would probably feature a whole new cast, and the concept is strong enough to adapt to a modern story. It sounds awful, but perhapsit’s just a matter of time until someone at Universal Pictures pushes enough and finds a loophole to makeBack to the Future Part IV.
