‘Back to the Future’ fun facts: The original Marty wasn’t Michael J. Fox

Released 40 years ago, the time-traveling adventure “Back to the Future” became an instant and everlasting phenomenon. The highest-grossing film of 1985, earning $389 million (the equivalent of $1.2 billion in 2025), director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis’ comedy turned into a franchise, with two sequels, television series and a Broadway musical, along with hit singles and a best-selling soundtrack. 

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will present live-to-picture concerts of “Back to the Future” on June 26-28, conducted by David Newman, whose family has deep roots in Hollywood; his father is nine-time Oscar-winning composer Alfred Newman.

So rev up your engines and power through some high-octane facts about the movie:

A flying Frigidaire? Marty McFly goes reeling through the years via a time machine that transports him back to the ’50s and then forward to 1915 in a futuristic DeLorean, with its iconic gull-wing doors and ultra-modern appearance. Originally the time machine was going to be a stationary object: a refrigerator. The filmmakers scrapped that idea because they feared children would try to copy the movie and get stuck in discarded devices. Before settling on a DeLorean, they considered a Ford Mustang. Zemeckis had the idea of using a car because then the time machine could be mobile and thus involved in more exciting scenes. He wanted something that looked futuristic and cool, so the DeLorean zoomed into the starring role.

A grateful mogul sends his thanks: John DeLorean, CEO of the DeLorean Motor Co., wrote Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale a letter expressing his gratitude after the movie came out: “Thanks for continuing my dream in such a positive fashion.” The film renewed interest in the car, which had gone out of production in 1983, with only 9,000 DeLoreans rolling off the assembly line over the model’s three-year existence. 

The text of the letter that John DeLorean sent to Zemeckis and Gale:

Dear Gentlemen:

Last week I had the opportunity to see a screening of “Back to the Future” in New York, and I want you to know I think it was absolutely brilliant.

I was particularly pleased that the DeLorean Motor Car was all but immortalized in the film and want to thank all those responsible: Ron Cobb, Andy Probert, Mike Scheffe and Kevin Pike, for the outstanding job they did in presenting the DMC as the vehicle of the future. They can join my soon-to-be-revived design team at any time.

Thanks again for continuing my dream in such a positive fashion.

The script hit the circular file: After approving the concept, Columbia Pictures commissioned Zemeckis and Gale to write a screenplay. They did so, but Columbia nixed it, calling the movie “too sweet.” On the first go-round, Universal Pictures told Zemeckis and Gale that “time-travel movies don’t make any money.” And Disney said it was “too incestuous" (because the mother falls for her son back in the ’50s). Eventually, “Back to the Future” was rejected 44 times by studios.

Spielberg saves the day: Meanwhile, Zemeckis and Gale showed the script to their friend — legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. He loved it. “It was a very unusual story, but based on old-fashioned principles like family and coming of age and dreams and desires and the generation gap,“ he told them. ”It was really terrific.” 

Amblin’ for a deal: Spielberg wanted his production company, Amblin Entertainment, which distributes through Universal, to make the film, but Zemeckis and Gale didn’t want to become known as the guys who only got jobs because they were friends with Steven Spielberg. They finally came around.

“Spaceman From Pluto"? The movie almost had a different title. The president of Universal Pictures, Sid Sheinberg, did not like the name “Back to the Future.” In a memo to Zemeckis and Gale, he asked them to change the title to “Spaceman From Pluto.” But producer Steven Spielberg stepped in and replied to Sheinberg’s memo with one of his own: “Sid, thanks for your most humorous memo. We all got a big kick out of it. Thanks, Steven.”

Almost bound by “Family Ties”: Michael J. Fox was not the first person cast as Marty McFly. Zemeckis wanted Fox, but he was committed to the hit sitcom “Family Ties.” When NBC refused to release Fox to make “Back to the Future,” Zemeckis went through the usual casting process. Among the candidates: John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, Ralph Macchio and Johnny Depp, who all auditioned for the part. Eric Stoltz won the role. Filming started with Stoltz as Marty, but issues arose almost immediately, because Zemeckis felt that Stoltz wasn’t delivering the laughs the movie needed.

At the first table reading, the whole cast was laughing and joking. But afterward, Stoltz announced: “Everybody’s laughing, but it’s not a comedy, it’s a tragedy. It’s really very sad.” Six weeks into production, Stoltz was let go by Zemeckis. Years later, Zemeckis called the firing of Stoltz, “the worst moment of my career.” 

Working for a living: Michael J. Fox got the gig, and had to work very hard at two jobs, Zemeckis went back and asked “Family Ties” show-runner Gary Goldberg if he would release Fox from the sitcom. Fox begged Goldberg to let him make the movie. Goldberg relented, on the condition that the “Family Ties” schedule not be interrupted. This meant Fox had to work on “Family Ties” and “Back to the Future” simultaneously. Operating on just three hours of sleep per night, Fox filmed “Family Ties” from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., then would rush to the “Back to the Future” set, where he would rehearse and shoot until 3:30 a.m. This killer schedule went on for two months.

The power of Oscar: Nominated for three Oscars — best original screenplay, best sound and best original song — the film won in the latter category for “The Power of Love,” performed by Huey Lewis and the News; the song also went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Overnight sensation: The film made Michael J. Fox a movie star overnight. In the next five years after “Back to the Future,” he went on to headline the box-office hits “Teen Wolf” (1985), “Light of Day” (1987), “The Secret of My Success” (1987), “Bright Lights, Big City” (1988), “Casualties of War” (1989), the “Back to the Future” sequels (1989 and 1990) and “Doc Hollywood” (1991).