Eric Stoltz Was Original 'Back To The Future' Marty McFly (VIDEO)

ew.com:

Fans of Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly will want to watch the clip below from the bonus features of the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy collection out Oct. 26. We get a peek at what the movie would have looked like if director Robert Zemeckis didn't realize after five weeks of filming that Eric Stoltz, who was originally cast as the teen time traveler, had different "comedy sensibilities" than himself and his co-writer Bob Gale. As executive producer Steven Spielberg recalls in the clip, Zemeckis showed him some footage and said he didn't think they were getting the kind of laughs they wanted.

Read the whole story: ew.com

Comments

[VanessaFas]

09:32 PM on 10/26/2010

Maybe the recast was the right idea, but I've never been able to understand why Stoltz didn't get better roles. Bad agent? Tempermental? Serious actor, only wanted to do certain roles? I would like to know more.

[dennissinned]

12:47 PM on 10/26/2010

Maybe he thought he was filming Mask 2. lol

[Aitch5]

08:44 PM on 10/13/2010

So after letting go Stolz --when did they have their "a-ha" moment with MJ Fox! How did it all happen?
I am dying to know!

[Aitch5]

10:09 PM on 10/14/2010

I think I get it--Stolz is a competent actor--but not a particularity comic one. Fox is a good comic actor and could elicit laughs in the right places.

[Jim MO PA]

05:00 PM on 10/26/2010

Michael Jj Fox was filming Family Ties. Steven Spielberg and other first wanted Michael before Stolz.. The people at Family Ties didn't tell Michael about it. After Steven knew Eric wasn't the right actor, they went back to their first choice. The Gary Goldberg (who the series Family Ties is loosly based off of) decided to show Michael the script and said Michael could do it but his work at Family Ties could not suffer. Other producers said Gary was nuts because Back To The Future would make Michael a start and he would leave the series. Michael never left because a loyalty to Gary. Note: Gary was against having Michael play Alex but after a second read gave the job to him. All this is from the Michael autobio, Lucky Man, which is a great book.

[Aitch5]

08:40 PM on 10/28/2010

Thanks so much! appreciate.
Have thought about reading Fox's book.

[wm1066]

03:49 PM on 10/13/2010

I just heard that Eli Wallich was supposed to be in "From Here To Eternity" playng the part that Sinatra played. I didn't think Sinatra was all that believeable in that part, Eli would have been better.

[RedDogBear]

11:09 AM on 10/14/2010

That scene in the Godfather where the director gets a horse's head in his bed to convince him to let the Italian singer get a role in his movie was supposedly inspired by the way Sinatra managed to get his role in Here to Eternity.

[wm1066]

01:39 PM on 10/14/2010

Thats right! I'd forgotten that, thanks RedDogBear.

[LateBoomer2]

10:45 AM on 10/26/2010

I LOVE Eli Wallach!!! Now I'm going to have to re-watch FHTE and imagine him in it!!!!

One of my favorite scenes in all of cinema is Eli running through the cemetery to Ecstasy of Gold. Classic.

[jdrourke]

11:08 AM on 10/13/2010

Most film fans have known this for 25 years! It's always tough to replace a good actor once shooting has began, but it seems like it was the right decision...

[vincentmartin226]

10:40 AM on 10/13/2010

Why is huffington post making this news ...everybody knew about this 20 years ago....he wasn't funny ...he was fired because he didn't understand the part.......but this is old old old old news....and frankly I am glad he was fired because Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd made this one of my Favorite Sci Fi films of all times ...every year I sit down and spend the wholde day watching all three...just so much fun to watch

[BlackJAC]

03:33 PM on 10/13/2010

Did you ever do the Universal Studios ride?

[vincentmartin226]

11:16 PM on 10/13/2010

Yeah in Florida ....and it was fun just waiting with Christopher Lloyd on the Tv getting you into the adventure ...Infact I have the button they gave out in the first month of the ride that says I went back to the future....sadly the ride is gone and that is sad

[Pennsylvanianne]

09:05 AM on 10/26/2010

Agreed on the Eric Stoltz comments. This was common knowledge years ago. Stoltz would have resembled his movie "father," Crispin Glover, much more than Fox (and that was probably part of the reason Stoltz and Glover originally were cast), but Michael J. Fox RULED in the McFly role. Your practice of watching all three movies in one day is a great idea. I may do the same and suggest it to another big "Future" fan I know.

[ginny1920]

10:55 AM on 10/26/2010

It's weird, Stoltz and Fox actually do resemble one another, but yeah, Stoltz looks alot more like Glover.

[mokachyna]

09:40 AM on 10/13/2010

This is my favorite movie of all time. I love that everything that happens in the film is important and relates to something that will happen or did happen. I could watch this movie over and over...and I have.

[mackbolan]

03:47 AM on 10/13/2010

in the fringe series on t.v. there is a scene in the alternate universe that shows a movie marquee.....starting friday....back to the future with eric stolz...hahahahah..

[alsm9]

10:01 PM on 10/12/2010

Eric Stolz had too much sex appeal for that role. Michael J. Fox, was cute and likeable, but not sexy so he was a better choice. Technically Stolz was too sexy for the Some Kind of Wonderful role because there is no way a guy that looked like him would be a nerdy outcast. But they were targeting the teen girl market at the time so....and as a teen girl at that time, I say thank you. :)

[Harpseal60]

05:10 PM on 10/26/2010

I agree. I loved that movie and him.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

08:40 PM on 10/12/2010

Stoltz was too tall and confident-looking to be Marty


He might have made a good Superman though

[sean6886]

06:54 PM on 10/12/2010

If you're a fan of the movies, you already knew this.

[AjaStrandski]

07:01 PM on 10/12/2010

COME ON Abe Scheinwald, At 31 I have seen these movies, so as not to exaggerate I'll just say at least 10 times each and this is a REVELATION to me. They should have gotten Fox to play Rocky Dennis in that other classic film from 85' Mask

[sean6886]

02:48 AM on 10/13/2010

Nice SNL reference. I am 42 and have heard about Eric Stoltz being first cast many, many times.

[BlackJAC]

03:35 PM on 10/13/2010

I take it you didn't get the DVD box set of them, for it was mentioned in the supplemental material complete with photos.

[BlackJAC]

03:35 PM on 10/13/2010

Quick: what inspired the movie in the first place?

[generix]

06:36 PM on 10/12/2010

I like Eric Stoltz, esp. in Some Kind of Wonderful but Michael Fox was perfect as Marty McFly, from the chase scene at the town square to the guitar-playing scene.....nobody would have done it better than him.

[RedDogBear]

11:12 AM on 10/14/2010

I agree even though in general I think Stolz is the better actor but Fox was perfect for that role.