'BTTF' Week: Sequels, cliffhangers and 'Jaws 19'

Today on Back To The Future Week, Bob Gale tells us about making the two sequels to the 1985 time-travelling hit and which documentary inspired his view of Part 2's futuristic Hill Valley. Also, he discusses working on highly-anticipated sequels in the pre-internet age and admits that he's glad Jaws 19 has yet to materialise.

As the sequels came, do you think you benefited from being in an age when there was no internet and you were able to take audiences by surprise?
"Well sure! Everybody always has an opinion about what a sequel ought to be. Now, everybody can put their opinion out there. That part of the internet is kind of like the bathroom wall of life, for your own sanity there are certain bathrooms that you ought not to go into."

What do you think about the ending to Back To The Future II? Some fans believe you left it on too much of a cliffhanger.
"We knew that people were going to be upset that it was a cliffhanger. That's one of the reasons we put the trailer for Part III out immediately after that. We were saying, 'We know that we left you guys hanging but there's not only going to be a Back To The Future III, you're going to get to see it in just six months from now, and here's a minute of it to look at and look how great it's going to be'."

Could you have done anything differently?
"I think we would have been smarter to advertise the movie as part two of a three-part series so that when people bought their ticket they knew there was going to be a third part. People just didn't know going in. That was a decision the studio made, they didn't want to advertise it that way. I was against that but I was just one voice against many and so it goes."

Are you disappointed that we're getting closer to 2015 and there's no sign of flying cars or hoverboards?
"Well sure, but we never really thought we would [see that]. When I was 9 years old in 1960 I remember seeing a documentary on TV about 'The Wonderful World Of 1985'. They had flying cars and I was so excited about there being flying cars! That was one of the things in the back of my head, they were always promising flying cars so we had to do that. Every kid wants a flying car!"

And we're still waiting for Steven Spielberg to make Jaws 19!
"Probably better that he doesn't!"

> DSMA Icon Award: 'Back To The Future'
> 'BTTF' Week: Disney, incest and Steven Spielberg
> 'BTTF' Week: Stoltz leaves, Fox arrives

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