The Flash'sBack to the Future gag has a basis in reality

For all the non-Back to the Future buffs, director Andy Muschietti talks about why that casting gag is even funnier than you might think.

By
Nick Romano
Nick Romano
Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano.
Published on June 16, 2023 05:00PM EDT

Warning: This article contains mild spoilers forThe Flash.

Of all the timeline disruptions that occur inThe Flash due to Barry Allen's time tampering, one of the more amusing changes concerns the state ofBack to the Future.

Barry (Ezra Miller), a.k.a. the Flash ofThe Flash, uses his speedster powers to travel back in time and stop his mother's murder, but he ends up drastically changing the course of history — including Hollywood history. Conversing with his past self (and his past self's roommates), he realizes, to his horror, that actor Eric Stoltz now plays Marty McFly in the 1985 classicBack to the Future instead ofMichael J. Fox.

For those unaware, a Fox-less, Stoltz-starringBack to the Future was very nearly a reality.

Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future'; Ezra Miller in 'The Flash'; Eric Stoltz
Michael J. Fox in 'Back to the Future'; Ezra Miller in 'The Flash'; Eric Stoltz.Everett Collection; Warner Bros.; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

It's one of thoseclassic Hollywood stories. Fox was the first choice of directorRobert Zemeckis and screenwriter Bob Gale to play Marty, the puffer vest-wearing teen who travels 30 years back in time in a DeLorean withChristopher Lloyd's Dr. Emmett Brown. Unfortunately, the actor's schedule didn't align with the production's so they cast Stoltz, who had previously starred inFast Times at Ridgemont High andRunning Hot. Stoltz, however, was eventually let go a few weeks into production because Zemeckis and Gale felt his reading was too intense.

"You know what I didn't know about the whole Eric Stoltz thing?"The Flash directorAndy Muschietti remarked during an April press conference in Los Angeles timed to CinemaCon. "Of course I knew the Eric Stoltz story for a long time, but I didn't know that when Eric Stoltz is fired, the one that is also fired is the actress that plays Marty McFly's girlfriend."

Melora Hardin, the actress who would go on to play Jen inThe Office, had been cast as Marty's girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, opposite Stoltz. When Fox, who was now available to play Marty, took on the role following Stoltz's departure, another change had to occur.

"They fire [Hardin] as a ripple effect because, when they bring Michael Fox, he's so tiny in comparison to Eric Stoltz," Muschietti explained. "Melora Hardin was like three feet higher than [Fox], so they had to hire a shorter actress." That actress was Claudia Wells, who, like Fox, hadn't originally been available to play Jennifer due to scheduling conflicts.

But, in another reality —The Flash's reality, specifically — Stoltz is still Marty McFly and Hardin is still Marty's best gal. The major downside in this alt-timeline is the unfortunate Stoltz/McFly tattoo on Barry's roommate.

The Flash is currently playing in theaters.

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