Michael J. Fox wants female Marty McFly for Back to the Future remake

Michael J. Fox thinks ‘Back to the Future’ should be remade with a female Marty McFly.

While chances of Michael J. Fox returning as Marty McFly in a fourth “Back to the Future” installment are zero, the former actor has a great idea for a reboot.

The 61-year-old star played the character in the sci-fi comedy trilogy and hopes that a female star gets to take on the role if the franchise returns to the big screen.

“I actually had this thought that if they did the movie again, they should do it with a girl as Marty.”

It is nearly four decades since Michael first played the role in the original 1985 movie and is certain that another ‘Back to the Future’ film will be made as the franchise “connects with people on every level”.

The actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, said: “There’s something about it that connects with people on every level. I just feel like it will come around again.” He eventually retired from acting.

Michael revealed that he is still impressed by the passion that fans have for the movies – which were released between 1985 and 1990.

He explained: “What’s most amazing about ‘Back to the Future’ is that – and it has nothing to do with me – but it has this life.

“People don’t just like it and remember it, they celebrate it and embrace it and get my face tattooed on their leg, and I mean, it’s crazy but in a good way.”

The star continued: “I love it and I only recently have been able to embrace it in a way.

“Not that I rejected it before, or wasn’t proud of it, but I didn’t fully get how much people related to it, how much it meant to them.”

It wouldn’t be the first time a woman took the reins of a beloved 1980s franchise, as 2016’s “Ghostbusters” reboot starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones in the leads. In 2018, Sandra Bullock led the all-female “Ocean’s 8” sequel.

Bob Gale, who co-wrote “Back to the Future” with director Robert Zemeckis, said a sequel without Fox would be like a steak dinner without the meat, per The Telegraph. Zemeckis, meanwhile, voiced similar thoughts about a potential remake in 2015.

Ugh, God no,” Zemeckis revealed “That can’t happen until both Bob and I are dead. And then I’m sure they’ll do it unless there’s a way our estates can stop it. I mean, to me, that’s outrageous. Especially since it’s a good movie.”

Zemeckis likened the idea to remaking “Citizen Kane” and described it as “insanity.” He told The Telegraph that his and Gale’s contracts with Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment ensured no “Future” films could be made if they were alive.

‘Back to the Future’ screenwriter Bob Gale had ruled out the possibility of making a fourth movie in 2020.

He said: “We told a complete story with the trilogy.

“If we went back and made another one, we’d have Michael J. Fox, who will be 60 next year, and he has Parkinson’s disease. Do we want to see Marty McFly at age 60 with Parkinson’s disease? Did we want to see him at age 50 with Parkinson’s disease? I would say, ‘No, you don’t want to see that.'”

“Back to the Future” was a box-office smash in 1985 and the highest-grossing film of the year. Each sequel brought Fox back as McFly but received less critical acclaim than the film before. In 1991, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 29 years old. He eventually retired from acting.

In 2020, Tom Holland said that he had been approached to star in a remake but loved the original film so much he didn’t pursue the project. Ultimately, a female time-traveling lead is still possible — but only in a future without Zemeckis and Gale.

“What’s most amazing about ‘Back to the Future’ is that… it has this life,”. “People don’t just like it and remember it, they celebrate it and embrace it and get my face tattooed on their leg, and I mean, it’s crazy but in a good way.”