Back To The Future: In the eyes of the fans

On July 3, 1985, the first part of Back To The Future was released on the big screen. Back To The Future is considered as one of the successful trilogies of all time. The film project was first introduced to Walt Disney Studio in 1984 but the company disregarded it. By this rejection, Bob Gale and Steven Spielberg, the co-producers of the project,went to Universal Studios to introduce this adventure comedy time-travel movie project and the result was affirmative.

DeLorean First Launch Into Time

 Despite Universal Studios appreciation and acceptance of this project, Gale and Spielberg were still given a deadline to finish it before summer of 1985. Hoping to finish it in time of summer, Bob Gale went to Robert Zemeckis informing the latter to introduce the role to Michael J. Fox who was also working with the NBC's "Family Ties" sitcom. Michael J. Fox was Gale and Zemeckis initial preference to the role. Thought that Fox could not make it because of his demanding role and time constraint in the sitcom, Zemeckis immediately made an audition and screen test between Eric Stoltz and somebody named Thomas for the prospect role but the CEO of MCA—the company who was known for its purchased of Gregg patents who invented laser disc technology—preferred Stoltz to play the lead role as Marty Mcfly contrary to Zemeckis personal choice.

Above is Eric Stoltz in the same scene as Fox

The shooting only lasted five weeks and  cost ballpark figure of 3 million dollars when Zemeckis realized that he had made a miscalculation about the casting. So, Bob Gale summoned all the casts privately and individually along with Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson to report to his office. The casts even had no idea what went wrong and were in a state of shock upon hearing the announcement that the shooting would be temporarily suspended.

Almost catching the deadline of the Studio and found the role of Stoltz too serious and lacking comic flair, so Gale and Spielberg decided and agreed with Zemeckis to urgently approach Gary David Goldberg—the producer of Family Ties—to let Michael J. Fox leave momentarily to shoot the film. After certain conditions and agreement with Gale and Zemeckis, Goldberg allowed and permitted Fox to make the project provided he would balance his role and obligation and make himself readily available anytime in the sitcom.

By this recasting, Eric Stoltz was replaced by Michael J. Fox as the new Marty McFly.

In spite of the forthcoming target date for the release of the film, the executives reached a consensus and resorted to re-shoot the whole scene all over again and found themselves back to square one. 

With the unprecedented outcome, Back to the future won several awards including Best Effects and Sound Effects Editing by Oscar Academy Awards 1986 and Best Foreign Language Film by Awards of the Japanese Academy 1987.

Photo from Back To The Future III

ADDENDUM

Robert Zemeckis chose 1985, as the threshold of the movie, to synchronize the age of Marty's parents in 1955 to Marty's present age in 1985 so that they would be of equal age in 1955.

Moreover, movie reviewers had asked Zemeckis why the latter chose car to time travel. As a rejoinder, Zemeckis told that they discarded the idea to make the fridge a contraption for time travel—considering also the awkwardness of the idea. Hence, the idea of the Delorean car (from the name of the maker: John Delorean) came in that would intentionally make it appear as an alien spaceship in 1955.