The Back to the Future movies may be one of the most universally loved pop culture franchises, but it seems fairly unlikely that we'll get another one anytime soon. Recently, Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc Brown in the first three installments, was asked if he thought a fourth film in the series should be made. While he wasn't against the concept entirely, the actor said the biggest challenge would be creators Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale coming up with an idea for another film that was on par with the other three. According to Lloyd...
Well, I think it's a matter of, first of all, it's important if Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale are excited about doing another episode [of Back to the Future], I think, really, the most important thing is if they can come up with the right idea. I think that's the challenge is to come up with something that really is as good as the originals. I suppose it could happen. I have not heard that they're looking for that, if they've made up their minds ... hey, here's something we could do, and they believed in it then they might get going to do it.
Coming up with an idea that works would certainly be something of a challenge. The trilogy of Back to the Future movies starring Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox did a pretty good job of wrapping up the story in a neat little way. Not only would a fourth movie need to have an idea that was as good as the first three, it would also need to include a way for the fourth movie to naturally follow, all these years later, from the original trilogy. Bob Gale has previously implied that a fourth movie will likely never happen for this reason, because the franchises that try to come out with a sequel this long after the first films just don't work.
Of course, if lightning were to strike twice and a fourth movie were to happen, you can go ahead and put Christopher Lloyd down for it. The actor tells the Phoenix New Times that if the powers that be were able to come up with a good idea for a fourth film, he would be more than happy to reprise his role as Doctor Emmett Brown.
I'd love to be in a fourth film, if they could come up with the right idea that extends the story and does it as well as the first three.
Certainly, fans are almost certainly in the same boat with Christopher Lloyd. Most would probably rather see no new film than see one that's subpar. Still, many other franchises from the 80s and 90s have been revived recently, so the idea of Back to the Future 4 certainly isn't the craziest idea anybody has ever had.
