JJ Abrams Making His Own Back To The Future With Timothée Chalamet
Producer and director J.J. Abrams has become Hollywood’s go-to for nostalgia trips, and now he’s planning another one. This time he’s doing his own take on Back to the Future.
We’ve learned from our sources that Abrams is working on an as-of-yet untitled movie which, while it won’t exactly be a remake of Back to the Future, will be something of an homage. If you’re looking for a comparison, imagine this new movie being to Back to the Future what the 2011, Abrams directed movie Super 8 is to Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.
Details are sparse, and Abrams is remaining tight-lipped about it, but we do know that much like Back to the Future this film will be about a young man traveling through time. To play the story’s Marty McFly-style character, Abrams is looking to cast Timothée Chalamet.
Timothée Chalamet is currently in talks to lead the movie, but a deal’s not done yet. After the wild success of the Dune movies and the solid success of Willy Wonka last year, Chalamet is a hot commodity and not an easy get.
If you’re looking for which modern actor is most like Michael J. Fox in the 8os, though, it’s hard to do better than Timothée Chalamet. So it’s easy to understand why Abrams would want him.
Notions of a full-on Back to the Future remake have floated around Hollywood for years. Back to the Future creators Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale have always been as adamantly against a remake as fans are. The pair move to block remakes from happening every time someone attempts it.
Doing a Super 8-style homage seems like the best possible workaround for Hollywood execs eager to cash in on all the goodwill moviegoers have for Back to the Future. At the same time, it could be a nice way to slip back into the genre for fans who would revolt against a remake but likely will enjoy a good homage.
