Back to the Future/Eric Stoltz as Marty

When production on Back to the Future began, the filmmakers cast Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly. Five weeks into the production, they decided he just wasn't right for the part and re-cast the role with Michael J. Fox. The rest, as they say, is history.

This footage has been buried in a vault for over 25 years and, we presumed, would never see the light of day. Now it appears that the forthcoming 25th anniversary release of BTTF on DVD (and hopefully Blu-Ray, as well) will show some of this footage for the very first time!

CNN Linkage with some footage

I'm thinking there wouldn't have been any sequels that way.

I can't imagine anyone other than MJF as Marty.

He had great chemistry with Doc and brought just the right amount of camp to the role.

I was expecting a RickRoll IMHO.

Oh man, no sound in that footage? Dang.

Looks like the wardrobe is different, that's what surprises me.

Would only work if he wore his giant head from "Mask."

I've heard that Stoltz did a more serious, intense portrayal; notice he's dressed in dark shades. Fox's interpretation of the role is probably much more comic and the lighter clothing he wears emphasizes the lightness.

The actors don't pick the costumes, so the production team made a few more changes when they recast the role.

I would also love to see the footage of Stuart Townsend as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies before he was fired and recast with Viggo Mortensen.

An episode of a show called Fringe (2.16) portrays an alternate reality on occasion and a 5-second shot shows a theater marquee "BACK TO FUTURE STARRING ERIC STOLTZ."

Now I get it.

I still don't really know who Stoltz is, and Fringe isn't a favorite or anything (though it just got a teensy bit better imo), but geek-trivia is oddly satisfying.

Stoltz is in Caprica now. He was a B-list teen star in the days of the Cory's but i can't remember what he was in.

He was John Travolta's drug dealer in "Pulp Fiction".

I'm not sure that this is a fair statement.

In interviews during the 80s, Stoltz appeared to be less concerned with high profile teen movies than his work in stage and art house-type flicks. If he didn't get a lot of "brat pack" work, it seemed like it was by his design, not for lack of looks, ability or opportunity.

Stoltz has had a decent career. He's had a lot of leading or prominent film roles: Some Kind of Wonderful, Mask, The Fly II, Pulp Fiction, Singles, Memphis Belle, Jerry Macguire, Rob Roy, Anaconda. On television, he was a regular on Chicago Hope and has the lead role in Caprica now.

Not quite the career of an A-Lister, but not bad at all.

Fortunately or unfortunately depending how you look at it, Peter Jackson disagreed and fired Townsend a few days into shooting the trilogy. It was deemed that Townsend was far too young for the role.

Great........Stoltz Marty!


Nah, don't fucking work.

Bring back the shakey one.

Well, technically so is Viggo Mortensen, as Aragorn was supposed to be like 90 years old at the start of TFOTR, if I am not mistaken.

I admit that this is needless pedantics, since the people of Aragorn's bloodline were long lived anyway.

There was some kind of character actor in the early '80s. Looked a little like Mick Jagger. And when I read the books, I always pictured him as Aragorn. He'd be too old now, of course.

I take it you're thinking of Michael Preston, who worked on a few films in the 80's before vanishing. He played the leader of the good guys in The Road Warrior.

I've tried atleast 5 times to sit through The Road Warrior.
I can't do it.

short attention span?

I guess.
I watch for about 10min before I think 'wonder what else is on?'

It just bores me.
So does Mad Max or whatever the first one is called.

And I really only like the last half of Beyond ThunderDome.

The Road Warrior is probably one of the best post apocalyptic movies ever made.

There aren't many, granted, but ... if you didn't like that, what kind of post apocalyptic movies would you sit through?

Why is it in all the Mad Max movies humanity has lost the technology to produce shirts?

Bullets? Fine.
Shirts? Too complex.

The Road Warrior takes place in Australia's outback. Not a lot of shirt makers there.

What, do you get interminably bored in the handful of 30 second intervals where there isn't any action?

Casablanca it ain't, but The Road Warrior is a damned fine action film.

My favorite Stoltz performance was as Ali McDonald in Rob Roy.

Hnnnn...
I don't see it.

They need to make a dragon age and a Fallout movie.

I really liked Stoltz in the little-known 2003 Showtime miniseries, Out of Order. When it originally ran, I could really identify with his character...

Coincidentally, it has a Family Ties connection as well: Justine Batemen has a part in it and she has a topless scene.

Need I say it?
Pics or...........