Everyone keeps asking the cast and creators of Back to The Future if another sequel will ever happen. Or if fans will get a remake or a reboot. Both director Robert Zemeckis and his co-writer Bob Gale have stated many times in the past that all of those options are completely off the table. What they haven’t shot down is the notion that Back to the Future: The Musical will be adapted into a feature film. In a recent interview, Bob Gale seemed kind of cagey about the prospects of getting a new Back to the Future movie in this sneaky way. Original franchise star Lea Thompson, on the other hand, fully believes that this is Universal’s ultimate plan to get Marty and Doc back on the big screen.
We recently talked with Lea Thompson about the new Back the Future Ultimate Trilogy 4K release that hit retailers today, October 20, just in time for Back to the Future day. There is a whole section of new special features dedicated to Back to the Future: The Musical, with a tease of the stage show, a Q&A with its stars and creators, and a preview of two featured songs.
Lea Thompson is musically inclined. But she doesn’t believe she’ll be asked to ever reprise her role as Lorraine Baines McFly for the stage. She had this to say when asked if there was a role in the musical for her as it expands beyond London, hinting that Universal is already trying to turn the production into a feature film.
“They would not ask me because I’m way too old. But of course I would. But I’m way too old. I always thought that they should have Chris Lloyd in it. I know everyone always asks me if there’s gonna be a sequel. And there won’t be. There won’t be a reboot. But I’m pretty sure they’re probably already working on making a movie of the musical. That’s my opinion, and I’m sticking with it. I don’t know anything like that, but that’s my opinion.”
If Back to the Future: The Musical does happen as a movie, Lea Thompson wants in on the action. She knows she won’t be asked to reprise Lorraine, but has other ideas. In fact, she wants her daughter, Zoey Deutch, who gained a lot of attention last year for her role in Zombieland 2, to at least audition for the part of Lorraine. She also wants to direct the movie herself.
“Oh, I would do whatever they would ask me to do. But I would hope my daughter Zoey would get in audition for the Lorraine part. I think that would be awesome. I’d be all for it. I’m not sure what her opinion would be. But she is a really good singer. She sang in The Politician, and she’s a great actress. So I think it would be a funny meta thing to do. They could put Michael Fox’s son in it. And they could put my dog in it. And then they’ll let me direct it. If Bob Zemeckis doesn’t want to, I could direct it, so that would be fun.”
Lea Thompson has become quite the prolific director over the past decade, as she has transitioned more away from acting to behind the camera. She had this to say about her directing career.
“Yes, that’s what I mostly do. I directed a movie called The Year of Spectacular Men with my two daughters and I’ve been directing back 10 or 15 years. Yes, I directed that. That’s on Hulu and I directed it. I’m about to go direct Star Girl. I did Mom, Star Girl, The Goldbergs. Young Sheldon, a ton of TV. That Switched at Birth show. I did two movies for the Hallmark Channel, so I’ve been directing a lot. That’s what I do most of the time.”
Back to the Future The Musical premiered in February for preview shows at Manchester Opera House, but had to shut down due to the pandemic. It is now set to reopen at the Adelphi Theater in London in May 2021. There are plans to further expand the show and we could see it open in the U.S. sometime in the next couple of years. There doesn’t appear to be a timeline. Rosanna Hyland is currently playing the role of Lorraine Baines McFly.
