# Back to the Future reboot **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2010, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782 "2010-11-07T09:16:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/21 "2010-11-07T18:17:42Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Remaking these films would be as foolish as trying to remake _Rear Window_ or _On The Waterfront_. They basically did remake Rear Window: Disturbia. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/22 "2010-11-07T18:51:39Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Marty McFly - The only actor I’m aware of who’s the right age to play him is Michael Cera. Aside from being badly overexposed, using Cera pretty much requires writing Marty McFly as a completely different character. Marty McFly is charismatic, funny, and smart; Cera is, well, boring. He does what he does well, but he’s passive and blank. His characters tend to be clueless. “Back to the Future” rides to a large extent on the unique acting talents of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd; a remake would have to be a substantially different film just to acocunt for that. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/23 "2010-11-07T18:59:53Z")
I heard (on the radio so may or may not be true) that they are develping a new BTTF with Justin Bieber as Marty. Can anyone confirm or deny ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/24 "2010-11-07T19:00:29Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > That’s another problem. What type of car would they use. Obviously you’d want something “with some style” and even a little exotic looking, but not overly sporty or glamorous. The Delorean fit that bill perfectly in the '80s. The Prius, while I’m sure it’s a good drive, is an ugly, bloated looking machine. It has no style. In fact I’m hard pressed to think of any care made in the last few years that you swap in for the Delorean without prompting too many :dubious: or :rolleyes:. Depending on how much of a rewrite you do, it doesn’t need to be a car at all. As I remember, originally, the producers were going to make the time machine out of a refrigerator, but then they thought that kids would try to emulate the film and get themselves stuck in refrigerators. Continuing with my previous post about how things today are much more digital than they were 25 years ago, how about if the need is for some sort of calculation to be made, one that’s trivial with a computer or smartphone in 2010 but requires piecing together a bunch of videogame systems or IBM PC/AT or Macintosh machines in 1985. Or maybe they need to break into a government lab to run the calculation on a Cray supercomputer. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/25 "2010-11-07T19:15:27Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I heard (on the radio so may or may not be true) that they are develping a new BTTF with Justin Bieber as Marty. > > Can anyone confirm or deny [Here](http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/10/18/back-to-the-future-creator-bob-gale-talks-blu-ray-justin-bieber-remakes-and-sequels/)’s an interview with BTTF screenwriter and producer Bob Gale in which he denies any plans for a remake and specifically any involvement of Justin Bieber. They are working on some video games, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/26 "2010-11-07T19:24:33Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > That’s another problem. What type of car would they use. Obviously you’d want something “with some style” and even a little exotic looking, but not overly sporty or glamorous. The Delorean fit that bill perfectly in the '80s. The Prius, while I’m sure it’s a good drive, is an ugly, bloated looking machine. It has no style. In fact I’m hard pressed to think of any care made in the last few years that you swap in for the Delorean without prompting too many :dubious: or :rolleyes:. Maybe too sporty, but I was thinking a Tesla! ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/27 "2010-11-07T19:42:47Z")
Not a Prius, a Hummer. The first gigantic one. It would be good to have once the terrorists start shooting up the place. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/28 "2010-11-07T20:26:26Z")
I didn’t start this thread because I WANT there to be a remake. I just think that it’s inevitable. And while I won’t be thrilled, I know complaining won’t do anything about it. Having said that, if Justin Bieber were cast as Marty :eek: I would have to say, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Edit: As for cultural changes, the only major change I can think of is society being more excepting of gays and lesbians than they were. And of course the fact that we have a black president. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/29 "2010-11-07T21:14:32Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Not a Prius, a Hummer. The first gigantic one. It would be good to have once the terrorists start shooting up the place. That’s what Mr. S suggested. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/30 "2010-11-07T21:39:50Z")
If it’s a ‘reboot’, you’d want to flip the premise on its head. Instead of traveling back in time to a simpler, more innocent time, have Marty’s parents be uptight boomers who had a kid late in life, and then have him travel back to meet his parents in the 1970’s - when they were stoned hippies. Have him be disconcerted by the fact that they take the future completely in stride. “Far out, man!”. And instead of the running joke be about how different the future is, have it be about how much the same it is, or even how it’s more like an earlier generation in some ways. Marty: “Dad! I’m from the future. From 2010!” Dad: “Awesome! Do you live in a space habitat?” Marty: “No.” Dad: “A moon base?” Marty: “NO! We stopped going to the moon in the 1970’s.” Dad: “Oh, that sucks, dude. Can I ride in your flying car?” Marty: “We don’t have flying cars. I drive a Ford.” Dad: “Bummer. But I’ll bet the kids are wild! We’re teaching them to be free spirits!” Marty: “No… We have short hair and worry about getting into college.” Dad: “The future sucks!” Marty: “But we have phones you can look at porn on.” Dad: “AWESOME!” There actually was a show that riffed on this a bit. It was… Family Ties, starring Michael J. Fox. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/31 "2010-11-07T22:01:20Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > And instead of the running joke be about how different the future is, have it be about how much the same it is, or even how it’s more like an earlier generation in some ways. > > Marty: “Dad! I’m from the future. From 2010!” > Dad: “Awesome! Do you live in a space habitat?” > Marty: “No.” > Dad: “A moon base?” > Marty: “NO! We stopped going to the moon in the 1970’s.” > Dad: “Oh, that sucks, dude. Can I ride in your flying car?” > Marty: “We don’t have flying cars. I drive a Ford.” > … I have a small problem with your idea: _Marty drives a time machine_. This renders all running jokes about how Marty’s time is just like his dad’s time null and void, because his dad doesn’t have a goddamn _time machine_. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/32 "2010-11-07T22:17:05Z")
What if, instead of Marty being from the present day and travelling to the 80’s, he starts out 30 years from now and travels back to the current day? Also, George is bi, and it’s him that gets the crush on Marty, not Lorraine. And just to really ruin things, Doc Brown? At the end we find out he’s actually another Marty from even farther in the future. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/33 "2010-11-07T22:39:02Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > What won’t change is us–people–who will still be the same grubby, greedy, glutenous, goofy, grotesque, and gauche organisms that we are today. > > Stranger You speak for yourself, pal. I’ll be dead by then. Sucker… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/34 "2010-11-07T22:48:48Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Doc, are you telling me you build a time machine out of a Prius? Later on… Marty McFly: There he is, Doc! Let’s land on him, we’ll cripple his car. Doc: Marty, he’s in a '76 Pinto, we’re in a Prius. He’d explode and take us with him. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/35 "2010-11-07T22:53:25Z")
Are you saying you built a time machine out of a hot tub? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/36 "2010-11-07T22:59:27Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Are you saying you built a time machine out of a hot tub? That explains why the Terminators show up naked. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/37 "2010-11-07T23:45:23Z")
I was impressed by [who they cast](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka5Ypwub2BA) as the voice of Marty for the upcoming games by _Telltale Games_. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/38 "2010-11-07T23:56:53Z")
I think Robert Downey Jr. could make a good Doc Brown; he can totally do that twitchy, wild-eyed quality that Doc had. (Ooh! or, to take it in a totally different direction: Jack Black. You could do posters and web ads that said “Black is the new Brown”!) Michael Cera, not as Marty, but as George McFly. Ellen Page as Lorraine McFly. I think you have to throw the Marty role to a newcomer, someone who doesn’t have any cinematic baggage. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/39 "2010-11-08T00:38:04Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > I think Robert Downey Jr. could make a good Doc Brown; he can totally do that twitchy, wild-eyed quality that Doc had. What about Michael J. Fox? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782/40 "2010-11-08T00:39:38Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > I think Robert Downey Jr. could make a good Doc Brown; he can totally do that twitchy, wild-eyed quality that Doc had. > > (Ooh! or, to take it in a totally different direction: Jack Black. You could do posters and web ads that said “Black is the new Brown”!) > > Michael Cera, not as Marty, but as George McFly. > > Ellen Page as Lorraine McFly. > > I think you have to throw the Marty role to a newcomer, someone who doesn’t have any cinematic baggage. Apart from RD Jr (too young), I like that casting. It could actually be a fun reboot if they didn’t try to make it too much like the original. A sequel could be cool - with one of his kids from the future of Back to the Future ending up in _our_ timeline. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-reboot/559782.md?page=3)