However, this is not Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc in the 1985 time-travel blockbuster, but Roger Bart, known to TV audiences as the creepy pharmacist in Desperate Housewives and as Matt LeBlanc’s agent in the sitcom Episodes. The matinee crowd at Back to the Future: the Musical goes wild. Had that been the case, the beloved franchise could have turned out very differently.G reat Scott! The DeLorean screeches to a halt, smoke swirling around its tyres, and who should emerge but “Doc” Emmett Brown, with his white scare-cut and goggle-eyed expression. Fox had just been a bit taller, she might have been the franchise's leading lady, and Elisabeth Shue may never have been involved at all. Elisabeth Shue has been in many notable movies and TV shows since Back to the Future, most recently Cobra Kai and The Boys, while the Emmy-nominated Melora Hardin is best known for The Office. If Michael J. Claudia Wells participates in Back to the Future conventions and still acts on occasion. Some fans have come up with ways to incorporate these behind-the-scenes changes into the on-screen story, such as a theory that time travel caused Jennifer to change in appearance due to the butterfly effect slightly altering her genes.Īll three actresses continue their remarkable careers in the present.
In addition to the characters of Jennifer and Marty, George McFly also had to be recast after Crispin Glover chose not to return for the sequels.
This was one of quite a few logistical setbacks the production faced. Because Back to the Future Part II starts right where the last film left off, the first movie's ending had to be completely reshot with Shue. This tragedy led to Elisabeth Shue being cast as Wells' replacement in the subsequent films. Sadly, Claudia Wells had to turn down the offer to return as Jennifer because her mother (who was also her manager) was dying of breast cancer.
By the time this had happened, Wells' show had wrapped, and she was free to return to the role.Īfter the massive success of Back to the Future , two sequels were set to go into back-to-back production. Fox. Unfortunately for Hardin, she was deemed "too tall" for Fox. After filming for six weeks, the producers decided he wasn't right for the part, and Stoltz was fired as Marty in Back to the Future, getting replaced by the producer's original first choice, Michael J. Hardin was then brought in to take her place in the film - but at this point in the movie's production history, she starred opposite a very different Marty McFly played by Eric Stoltz.
Wells was originally cast to play Jennifer in Back to the Future however, a scheduling conflict made her unavailable to play the part. However, Wells and Shue were not the only actresses to play the character: Melora Hardin was also cast as Jennifer, but was replaced due to behind-the-scenes issues. Jennifer continues to be played by Shue in the third and final film, where she and Marty are left to write their own futures after fixing the timeline. Jennifer appears in all three movies, but audiences may have noticed that she looks different in the last two films this is because Back to the Future Part II recast Jennifer, with Elisabeth Shue taking over the role. Related: Back To The Future's Time Travel Explained: How It Works & Is It Accurate?
In the final movie in the franchise, Back to the Future Part III, Marty needs to go all the way back to 1885 in order to rescue Doc. She has a limited role in the first movie since most of the action takes place in 1955, but she has a much larger role in the sequel Back to the Future Part II.Īll three of the Back to the Future movies are set in quick succession, with the ending of each movie setting up the beginning of the next entry. In Back to the Future Part II, Jennifer joins Marty and Doc on their time-traveling adventures, going with them to the year 2015. The role of Jennifer Parker in the Back to the Future franchise was recast multiple times - here's why the beloved franchise had to recast the role twice. In the original 1985 film, Claudia Wells plays Jennifer, Marty's supportive love interest and high school sweetheart.