I Just Found Out What Back To The Future Was Almost Called, And I Can't Stop Laughing

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how Pretty Woman was originally called 3000 ― and that it almost had a completely different plot. 

We’ve even revealed the confusing origins of the nickname “beefeaters” (well, sort of). 

But it was only this morning that I realised Back To The Future almost went by a completely different name ― and I haven’t been able to stop giggling since. 

What was Back To The Future’s proposed alternate title?

The movie nearly went by The Spaceman From Pluto, CBS News shared. 

That’s because (according to CBS,) Sid Sheinberg, then-head of Universal Pictures, didn’t like Back To The Future as a title.

He reportedly thought nobody would see a movie with “future” in its name(?).

Once he saw a note proposing the change, director Steven Spielberg supposedly decided to play showbiz chicken with Sheinberg.

He replied thanking the head for his “joke memo,” sharing that he “got a kick” out of it. And yes, it worked.

A purportedly embarrassed Shienberg allowed the movie ― the script of which had been rejected 40 times by the time it went to production ― to keep its original name.

Huh! 

I know!

The movie ― which as we’ve already said, had been chopped and changed a lot by the time it reached our screens ― is a very showbiz case of “improvise, adapt, overcome.” 

For instance, Eric Stolz had been chosen as Marty McFly and had shot several scenes before being cut from the project.

He was replaced by Michael J. Fox because of his perceived lack of comedic chops.

And that’s once the script had even been accepted.

When the scriptwriters originally brought their work to Disney, execs from the brand reportedly said (per Esquire), “Are you guys out of your minds? You can’t make a movie like this here. This is Disney, and you’re giving us a movie about incest! The kid with his mother in the car, that’s horrible!”

While I have you, the movie also contains the on-screen debut of Elijah Wood ― yes, he of Lord of the Rings fame. He played one of the two boys Marty McFly spoke to in Cafe 80. 

No business like it, right?