"Back to the Future" sketches
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of "Back to the Future," the classic sci-fi comedy starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.
The following photos are sketches from the movies.
Hoverboard Spike
"Back to the Future" was the highest-grossing film of 1985 and spent 11 weeks at No. 1, inspiring a generation of pop culture references, consumer products and fan clubs.
Pizza Hydrator
The story of "Back to the Future" is one mired in rejections, challenges and pure luck.
Hoverboard Pit Bull
Producer Bob Gale and director Robert Zemeckis wrote the script, which went through numerous drafts and was turned down by dozens of major studios. Five weeks into shooting, the studio had to restart from scratch.
Hoverboard Pitbull Carrying Case
The film was almost titled "Spaceman from Pluto."
Universal Studios head Sid Sheinberg didn't like the title "Back to the Future," claiming nobody would see a movie with "future" in the title.
Hoverboard Dataman
In "Back to the Future II," Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) traveled in time to the date Oct. 21, 2015.
Hoverboard Rising Sun
Although Michael J. Fox was the first choice for McFly, time conflicts with Fox's role on "Family Ties" prevented him from taking the part. Eric Stoltz of "Mask" fame took the role, but Zemeckis and Spielberg felt he wasn't the right fit.
"He's a magnificent actor, but his comedy sensibilities were very different from what I had written with Bob [Gale]," Zemeckis said in an interview.
So after five weeks of shooting with Stoltz, Zemeckis convinced Universal Pictures to let him re-cast Fox, working through time conflicts and adding $3 million to the movie's budget.
Food Hydrator
Robert Zemeckis, filmmaker and the director of the "Back to the Future" series, wont't let his classic be tampered with. When asked if he'd allow a remake to happen, his response was pretty unyielding.
"Oh, God no," he told The Telegraph in June, when asked if he and co-writer Bob Gale would ever sign off on a reboot.
"That can't happen until both Bob [Gale] and I are dead," he said. "And then I'm sure they'll do it, unless there's a way our estates can stop it."
TV Glasses
"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,'" director Robert Zemeckis told a fan convention in 2008.
Hoverboard Marty Hero
Marty McFly's street skateboard style is often cited as inspiration for a generation of skateboarders. In the 1980s, "street skating" was taking off, boosting popularity for skateboards like the Valterra model McFly rocks in the movie.
Marty Board Mattel Version
In his 1986 State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan quotes "Back to the Future": "Never has there been a more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic achievement. As they said in the film 'Back to the Future,' 'Where we're going, we don't need roads.'"
Producer Bob Gale
For producer Bob Gale after his wedding day and the day his daughter was born, October 21st, 2015 has always been the most important day on his calendar.
"Forever and ever it will be known as 'Back to the Future' Day. How great is that," said Gale.