Robert Zemeckis’s masterpiece Back to the Future will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary this Friday, meaning that the original release is officially as far away to us now as 1955 was to Marty McFly when he first went back in time. If you think that studio execs didn’t think of that first and subsequently attempt to reboot, remake, sequel-ize—whatever—the franchise in order to pull in some serious dough, you must be as crazy as old man Peabody and his idea about breeding pine trees.
Thankfully for us, though, Zemeckis and cowriter Bob Gale wisely stipulated control of further Back to the Future films in their first contracts, and will retain that control as long as they’re alive—which will hopefully be for a very, very long time.
When prompted by The Telegraph about his feelings regarding a potential remake, Zemeckis said what everyone needed to hear:
I mean, to me, that’s outrageous. Especially since it’s a good movie. It’s like saying ‘Let’s remake Citizen Kane. Who are we going to get to play Kane?’ What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?
But don’t take off on your hoverboards just yet: Zemeckis is quick to note that once he and Gale die, “…then I’m sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it.”
Sounds like a great plot for Back to the Future Part IV. Wait…
(via io9)
