Fans of "Back to the Future" will see no future installments of the beloved franchise after director Robert Zemeckis put the kibosh on any type of reboot.
"Oh, God no," Zemeckis told The Telegraph when asked if he would sign off on a remake. "That can't happen until both Bob [Gale] and I are dead. And then I'm sure they'll do it, unless there's a way our estates can stop it."
The director of all three "Back to the Future" films and Gale, who co-wrote the scripts with him, hold the final say on any productions related to the original franchise as long as they're alive. The crafty creators made sure to lock down control in their original 1984 contracts with Universal and Amblin Entertainment.
"I mean, to me, that's outrageous. Especially since it's a good movie. It's like saying, 'Let's remake "Citizen Kane." Who are we going to get to play Kane?' What folly, what insanity is that? Why would anyone do that?
Unfortunately, Zemeckis has no power over the possible remake of his action-adventure comedy, "Romancing the Stone," which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. That reboot has been in development since as early as 2008 and has also been considered as a television series.
Gale also ruled out the possibility of a fourth "Back to the Future" in 2008, citing the unavailability of the movies' star, Michael J. Fox, who has had to cut down his work load over the last 15 years due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.
"The idea of making another Back to the Future movie without Michael J. Fox - you know, that's like saying, 'I'm going to cook you a steak dinner and I'm going to hold the beef,'" he said at a Florida fan convention.
Zemeckis' next film, "The Walk," about the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twins Towers, will premiere on Oct. 9, 2015.
