Eric Stoltz gets his 'Back to the Future' moment after all

Posted Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 3:15 PM Central
Last updated Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 11:31 AM Central

by John Couture

Back in June, when we reported that Back to the Future was finally being released on Blu-ray to coincide with this its 25th anniversary, we were rather disappointed to learn that the long buried footage of Eric Stoltz as the original Marty McFly was most likely not going to see the light of day. Sure, there were leaked photos from the five weeks of shooting in which Stoltz played the '80s icon, but we wanted more.

Or, as Tim speculated at the time, it would be nice to have side by side comparisons of his and Michael J. Fox's performances. Well, as Tim updated in the original story, we will finally get to see bits of Stoltz' performance. Not only has a few of his scenes been interlaced into the new documentary that talks about the re-casting, but you can see a brief snippet of it below.

Casting a movie is certainly one of the most important variables in a film's success. And certain castings have the ability to cement an actor's legacy. It can certainly be argued that Marty McFly was one of those characters and Michael J. Fox was a huge beneficiary of this mis-casting.

Of course, it's not easy to feel bad for Eric Stoltz as he also went on to enjoy an extremely successful career himself, albeit one that is more heavy in the dramatic side of things.

Getting a rare look into the casting process is one of those gems that make buying a movie on DVD or Blu-ray worth the investment. Especially when you can sit and watch as Hollywood legends such as Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg actually admit that they make mistakes.

I think it's pretty clear from even these fleeting moments that everyone made the right decision for all involved and the inclusion of this footage only serves to show how important it is to fight for what you believe in. It's clear that Eric Stoltz in that role wouldn't have had the charisma needed to carry the movie and two sequels.

It's also probable that not only would Stoltz' completion of the movie have stunted Michael J. Fox's rise to stardom, but it would have hurt his own chances to land future roles had Back to the Future bombed at theaters.

Either way, this is a nice look into a classic film and if you were on the fence about buying the trilogy on October 26, then you shouldn't have any doubt left. I know that I'll be in line to pick it up, what about you?

Fox as McFly again

Not to be outdone by this resurrected Eric Stoltz footage, Michael J. Fox jumps back in the DeLorean to promote the upcoming Scream Awards on Spike. Watch the clip here.