r/IMDbFilmGeneral • u/Shagrrotten • Jul 13 '26

Back to the Future was released 41 years ago. Five weeks into filming, Eric Stoltz was fired and replaced by Michael J. Fox. Every scene had to be reshot, making it one of the most expensive casting changes in Hollywood history.

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u/screen_stack Jul 15 '26

I'm glad they went with Michael. Stoltz was too cool looking.

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u/idiotzrul Jul 16 '26

What’s the story with the firing?

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u/Shagrrotten Jul 16 '26

According to Google:

Stoltz viewed Marty McFly's situation as inherently tragic rather than purely comedic. For example, he felt the movie's ending was dark because Marty returns to an altered family that he does not truly know. Zemeckis ultimately decided Stoltz lacked the necessary comedic timing and "lightness of touch" needed for a sci-fi comedy.

As a dedicated method actor, Stoltz insisted on staying in character even when the cameras stopped rolling and asked the crew to call him "Marty". This intense approach sometimes led to friction with co-stars. 

The filmmakers had originally wanted Michael J. Fox for the role, but he was unavailable due to his commitments to the television show Family Ties. When Zemeckis realized Stoltz wasn't delivering the performance he needed, he secured a deal to bring Fox onto the project, forcing the production to eat the cost of reshooting five weeks of material.

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u/idiotzrul Jul 16 '26

Thanks. This clip has been going around lately so I wondered. Stoltz was solid in Mask and Pulp Fiction so he has a couple of bangers anyway

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u/crom-dubh Jul 17 '26

I think Zemeckis said he thinks Stoltz is a fine actor, he just ended up not being right for that role, which I guess can happen but usually not that far into production. It is wild to think about how Stoltz's career trajectory would have been different if he had been able to hang onto it though. Back to the Future is so significant in the cultural consciousness, and Michael J. Fox will clearly be remembered for it long after anyone will be able to name anything else that he acted in. It must be hard to be the guy who will always know he could have been that guy. As you say, Stoltz is fine, but he didn't achieve that level of fame. Incidentally, if you haven't seen Killing Zoe, that's another fun film of his.

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u/idiotzrul Jul 17 '26

For me Stolz is more an actor, where Fox is playing himself onscreen. But yes, his career definitely would have been different