Advice of Back to the Future prequel idea

R

rc444

Well-known member
Hi everyone,

Hey thanks for your earlier feedback on my trilogy treatment at the moment, it's given me a lot of ideas to go away and think about.

I happen to have a separate idea for a stand alone film, and I wanted to see what people thought of this idea and whether you think it has any legs.

My idea is called Before the Future and is a prequel to Back to the Future.

It takes place in the years before Doc and Marty were friends and principally follows Doc Brown growing up and going through several trials and tribulations until he finally invents the Delorean. In delves more into the backstory of Doc Brown as a scientist growing up, and what he got up to pre 1955. It also delves more into the backstory of how the Delorean came to be. It would neccessitate casting someone who could play a pre-1955 version of Doc. Marty doesn't really figure in this story.

I did toy with another idea utilising both characters set in the post 1990 world of BTTF, but I don't think it would be worth developing. For example, it would be difficult to bring back the original cast (except as a cameo) given the two leads ages at present and the fact that Michael J Fox has pretty much retired from acting with his most unfortunate illness.

Does the prequel idea have potential?

Cheers
rc444
 
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A prequel/sequel to an existing movie is very difficult to sell, regardless of how good it is, because anyone wanting to make it has to negotiate the appropriate rights with whatever studio/company currently has the rights to the original (which may not be the same people who made the original). For BttF, it wouldn't surprise me if someone already has those rights all locked up - sure, a big studio might be able to negotiate those rights, but you're limiting yourself to a very narrow market, as no studio wants to buy a script which they then can't get the rights to make.
 
Sequels, prequels, remakes and anything else from an existing property are *assignments*...

The rights owner hires a writer. They do not read scripts, because no such script can legally exist. In order to write the script, you must own the rights to the property... and you do not own those rights. The rights owner (studio) owns them - so you can not legally have written a script.

How this works - the studio (rights owner) decides they would like to make a prequel to BACK TO THE FUTURE and they call their favorite writers in for meetings. Each writer "pitches their take" - tells the producer at the studio what their prequel story would be. The producer then picks the one they like best and hires the writer to write the script - assigns them the job. That gives the writer the legal right to use the BACK TO THE FUTURE characters and situations.

If the studio likes the finished script, they make the film. But often they go through script after script (as they did with INDY 4) until they read one they like.

So, no matter how great your B2TF prequel idea is, you can't write it because you do not own the rights.

Best thing to do is to write your own original screenplay with your own characters, because if the studio reads your original script and likes it? They may call you in to pitch your take on a property they own like B2TF.

- Bill
 
I'm no legal expert, but I don't think this is entirely true. I believe you can write anything you want. You just can't sell it, distribute it, or do much else with it.

In the current issue of Creative Screenwriting magazine, there is an article about writing sequels to horror movies that didn't have stellar box office results. The article suggests emailing every studio exec you can, and putting in the subject line "I have the perfect sequel for [movie title]!"

At any rate, it can't hurt to at least pitch the idea.
 
That's my understanding too. E.g. I can write a Harry Potter film script, that's perfectly legal, but no studio will be silly enough to buy it from me unless they can get the rights (from whoever owns those rights) to make the actual film.
 
Thanks everyone for all your feedback, and particularly wcmartell's and chapelgrovefilms posts. It's convinced me that I'm going to just put my concentrations into an original screenplay and to pitch it as an original story, and then maybe afterwards I can always pitch the BTTF prequel idea. Well, I now have a lot of rewriting to do, and much to go away and change, so once again Thanks everyone for your extremely helpful and constructive feedback! David:)
 
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