41 Years Ago Today: Legendary Science Fiction Movie Released After Being Rejected Over 40 Times

After being turned down more than 40 times, going over budget and having to recast the main character six weeks into production, one of the most iconic science fiction films ever made was finally released on this day in theaters 41 years ago.

July 3 is the anniversary of several notable Hollywood films debuting in theaters, including Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Independence Day (1996), Men in Black II (2002) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).

It was also on this day, 41 years ago, that a timeless classic was released in the big screen. That movie? Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover.

Unlike so many other blockbuster sci-fi films from the ’80s, however, expectations weren’t exactly high for Back to the Future when it was released on July 3, 1985. Robert Zemeckis directed the film and co-wrote it with Bob Gale, who served as a co-producer with Neil Canton.

Back to the Future told the story of an American teenager named Marty McFly (played by Fox) and his friend, scientist Doctor Emmett Brown. After years of tireless work, “Doc” builds a time machine out of a DMC DeLorean vehicle.

Unfortunately, several mishaps place Marty in the wrong place at the wrong time. Driving away in the DeLorean, he ends up traveling back in time to November 5, 1955. Marty encounters the teenage versions of his future parents, Lorraine Baines and George McFly.

Marty inadvertently interrupts the moment that his parents meet and fall in love. After convincing the 1955 version of Doc that he traveled back in time from 1985, the scientist warns Marty that if he doesn’t get his parents to fall in love, he and his two siblings will be erased from existence.

‘Back to the Future’ Overcame Several Troubling Issues

In a 2010 interview to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future, Bob Gale said that the film’s “original script was rejected over 40 times,” per NBC New York. After tireless searching, it was finally picked up by Universal Studios.

Fox was always the first choice to play Marty, but he was filming the NBC sitcom, Family Ties. Unable to bring Fox aboard, producers went with Eric Stoltz instead.

However, Stoltz had a different acting style than the crew envisioned for the Marty character. Six weeks into production, Zemeckis and Gale decided to fire Stoltz (despite filming plenty of scenes with him), and scheduling arrangements were made for Fox to do Back to the Future.

Though the casting switch caused the movie to go well over budget, the box office numbers made that a moot point. According to Box Office Mojo, Back to the Future grossed $392.97 million worldwide.

The film’s first sequel, Back to the Future Part II, was released in November 1989. The conclusion, Back to the Future Part III, was released in May 1990.