Since everybody's talking about it...

[free_laddicals]

And I mean everybody, like it's the biggest bit of news that dropped this week that didn't come out of Chile. Even my morning DJs were discussing it.

Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.

I'd known he had been cast, shot, and fired before, but hadn't realized it was five weeks into shooting

Comments

[mmaresca]

I've often wondered if the five-weeks thing was some sort of intentional sabotage, with Stoltz being the sacrificial lamb for studio politics. From what I understand, they wanted Fox in the first place, but his Family Ties schedule wouldn't work with it. So they cast Stoltz, decided he wasn't working out, and then, Hey, NOW our first choice guy can work the schedule. What are the odds?

That said, while Stoltz is (and was at the time) a fine actor, I could see how he might not have had that same magic charisma as Fox that really was the X-factor that made BTTF "pop".

I can tell you, though, I've seen the Genevieve Bujold Janeway Footage, and recasting her was a mercy killing. Oh lord.

[free_laddicals]

I've often wondered if the five-weeks thing was some sort of intentional sabotage, with Stoltz being the sacrificial lamb for studio politics. From what I understand, they wanted Fox in the first place, but his Family Ties schedule wouldn't work with it. So they cast Stoltz, decided he wasn't working out, and then, Hey, NOW our first choice guy can work the schedule. What are the odds?

That makes an amazing amount of sense, actually. I think I would die if Spielberg or Zemeckis were to actually cop to it one day.