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For years I’ve been telling people I know about the Eric Stoltz lost BACK TO THE FUTURE footage. Don’t know the story? Well, essentially, when BTTF was first coming together, they shot five weeks of footage with Eric Stoltz playing Marty McFly… pretty much all the key scenes. But the powers that be deemed his portrayal ineffective based on what they were going for. Michael J. Fox was a hot name on TV, and a proven comedic talent, so the role was re-cast, and all the Marty footage re-shot.
Crazy, right? For years hardcore fans have wondered what happened to all that Stoltz footage? Rumors stated the footage was destroyed, and all that was left were a few photos of Eric and the other principal actors filming key scenes. But now, with the Blu-ray release looming, a snippet of behind-the-scenes footage has emerged, showing a few seconds of the notorious film. You can check it out below. But here’s my question: if this footage does in fact still exist (which clearly it does), then why not show us ALL of it? I’d love to see Eric Stoltz’s portrayal of Marty, in full, and make my own decision as to whether or not the re-casting was really necessary. Look, I love BACK TO THE FUTURE, and I love Michael J. Fox in the lead. But at least let Eric’s hard work be seen. It would be infinitely fascinating to watch a fan edit of the entire film with Stoltz in the lead. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
You can meet Christopher Lloyd at FAN DAYS this October 23 in Plano, TX. His special appearance at the show marks the 25th anniversary of BACK TO THE FUTURE! There’s also rumor of some special Universal prize drawings going on there as well.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
Well, i am just gonna say Michael J. Fox was better… in my opinion he had that “real” person thing going, Eric Stoltz looked like he was trying to look cool.