BACK TO THE FUTURE Bob Gale Shuts Down Any Hopes for More Films: “It’s Just Fine the Way It Is”

I don’t know anyone who is hoping for a Back to the Future remake, reboot, or sequels, but if you are, you can officially stop holding your breath. Screenwriter Bob Gale made it very clear during a recent panel at Universal Fan Fest Nights that it's not happening.While chatting with fans (via People), Gale didn’t mince words when asked, once again, about the possibility of a sequel, prequel, or spin-off. He said:“I don’t know why they keep talking about that! I mean, do they think that if they say it enough times, we’re going to actually do it?”Gale then hammered the point home harder, saying: “I mean, it’s like they know in every interview people say, ‘Oh Bob, when is there going to be a ‘Back to the Future 4’?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a prequel?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a spinoff?’ Never. It’s just fine the way it is. It’s not perfect, but as Bob Zemeckis used to say, ‘It’s perfect enough.’”It’s not that Gale is bitter about the attention, he’s just fiercely protective of the legacy, and when it comes to corporate pressure, he joked that it would have to get extremely dark before he and co-creator Robert Zemeckis would ever cave. Gale said, laughing:“If the juggernaut of corporate America or corporate international mishigas says, ‘If you don’t agree to this, we’re going to kill your children,’ alright, well, no, we don’t want our children killed.“But Steven Spielberg, of course, he’s got to sign off on it, too. And Steven, just like Steven won’t allow another ‘E.T.,’ he totally respects the fact that we don’t want any more ‘Back to the Future.’ He gets it and always stood behind that. And thank you, Steven.”For Gale, what really matters isn’t squeezing more content out of the franchise, it’s appreciating how the story has connected across generations. “What’s so great is seeing the next generation of kids that are being touched by this and [say], ‘Gee, my parents were once kids. ’That’s why I think it keeps on going, because every kid comes to that realization at some point, and we made a movie about that. So I love the fact that people are newly discovering it.”While the Back to the Future film series remains a trilogy, the story has found new life on stage. Back to the Future: The Musical has been a big hit and is currently touring the U.S., and recently opened in Tokyo. For Gale, the global love is both surreal and humbling. “We’ve made ‘Back to the Future: The Musical,’ which is still playing in London, it’s on a U.S. tour. We just opened it in Tokyo in Japanese, and they’re just as crazy, or crazier, over there about that whole ‘Back to the Future’ as anywhere else. So, I mean, I’m humbled and blown away by the fact that Bob and I came up with something that has this much staying power.”So there you have it, and I’m completely fine without Back to the Future ever getting a remake, reboot, spinoff, or sequel. Those films are perfect the way they are.

Apr 29, 2025 - 20:44

BACK TO THE FUTURE Bob Gale Shuts Down Any Hopes for More Films: “It’s Just Fine the Way It Is”

I don’t know anyone who is hoping for a Back to the Future remake, reboot, or sequels, but if you are, you can officially stop holding your breath. Screenwriter Bob Gale made it very clear during a recent panel at Universal Fan Fest Nights that it's not happening.

While chatting with fans (via People), Gale didn’t mince words when asked, once again, about the possibility of a sequel, prequel, or spin-off. He said:

“I don’t know why they keep talking about that! I mean, do they think that if they say it enough times, we’re going to actually do it?”

Gale then hammered the point home harder, saying:

“I mean, it’s like they know in every interview people say, ‘Oh Bob, when is there going to be a ‘Back to the Future 4’?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a prequel?’ Never. ‘When is there going to be a spinoff?’ Never. It’s just fine the way it is. It’s not perfect, but as Bob Zemeckis used to say, ‘It’s perfect enough.’”

It’s not that Gale is bitter about the attention, he’s just fiercely protective of the legacy, and when it comes to corporate pressure, he joked that it would have to get extremely dark before he and co-creator Robert Zemeckis would ever cave. Gale said, laughing:

“If the juggernaut of corporate America or corporate international mishigas says, ‘If you don’t agree to this, we’re going to kill your children,’ alright, well, no, we don’t want our children killed.
“But Steven Spielberg, of course, he’s got to sign off on it, too. And Steven, just like Steven won’t allow another ‘E.T.,’ he totally respects the fact that we don’t want any more ‘Back to the Future.’ He gets it and always stood behind that. And thank you, Steven.”

For Gale, what really matters isn’t squeezing more content out of the franchise, it’s appreciating how the story has connected across generations.

“What’s so great is seeing the next generation of kids that are being touched by this and [say], ‘Gee, my parents were once kids. ’That’s why I think it keeps on going, because every kid comes to that realization at some point, and we made a movie about that. So I love the fact that people are newly discovering it.”

While the Back to the Future film series remains a trilogy, the story has found new life on stage. Back to the Future: The Musical has been a big hit and is currently touring the U.S., and recently opened in Tokyo. For Gale, the global love is both surreal and humbling.

“We’ve made ‘Back to the Future: The Musical,’ which is still playing in London, it’s on a U.S. tour. We just opened it in Tokyo in Japanese, and they’re just as crazy, or crazier, over there about that whole ‘Back to the Future’ as anywhere else. So, I mean, I’m humbled and blown away by the fact that Bob and I came up with something that has this much staying power.”

So there you have it, and I’m completely fine without Back to the Future ever getting a remake, reboot, spinoff, or sequel. Those films are perfect the way they are.