One of my favorite Hollywood “what ifs” is imagining Back to the Future, one of the best ’80s movies, without Michael J. Fox. It’s wild to think about now, but Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly in the sci-fi classic movie, before being replaced by the star of one of the best sitcoms of the era, Fox. Forty years later, the Life With Mikey actor is opening up about finally meeting Stoltz after the switch.
The meeting happened in New York City while the Spin City veteran was gathering memories for his new book, Future Boy, which revisits the chaotic stretch when he shot Back to the Future at night and Family Ties by day. The account comes via People, which first reported the reunion. About the meeting with the Pulp Fiction star, Fox says:
It was great. It was a great conversation. It was just two guys talking, which is what I thought it would be.
If you’ve followed the saga, you likely know Stoltz was initially cast as the time-tripping teen and filmed for several weeks, though only one scene remains available to see, before director Robert Zemeckis and Universal pivoted to the Family Ties actor. That change has fueled years of rumor and internet archaeology. Fox, now 64, says the truth is simpler and far less dramatic. He explained:
There’s all this mythology built up about this thing that happened. Was it backstabbing? Was there people conniving and being evil? No, it just was the thing that happened. We had different experiences with the same situation and you absorb it and you move on.
The Frighteners alum says he reached out to “key players” while writing Future Boy, including Zemeckis, Back to the Future co-star Lea Thompson and Family Ties co-star Justine Bateman. Stoltz declined to be interviewed for the book but later agreed to meet at Fox’s office, where the conversation stayed private and respectful. MJF adds that he’s a longtime admirer of Stoltz’s work and that the sit-down helped them contextualize a formative moment in both of their careers.
The two actors even discovered a shared pre-Hill Valley history. Back in the early ’80s, they auditioned together for Franc Roddam’s military school drama, The Lords of Discipline. The For Love or Money actor recalls that the read got so “intense” that Stoltz nearly tore his shirt, but neither actor landed the part. The timing of the meeting dovetails with Fox’s broader look back. The memoir from the beloved actor chronicles not just the recast but the grueling split schedule that produced one of the defining performances of the ’80s.
For longtime Back to the Future fans, the takeaway is refreshingly anti-mythic. There’s no secret feud here, but instead, just two professionals who lived through the same high-pressure pivot from opposite sides of the lens, and who can now compare notes.
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum arrives Oct. 14, and an audiobook edition narrated by Michael J. Fox folds in interviews with collaborators from Back to the Future and Family Ties, plus archival audio cues that should delight DeLorean diehards.
Be sure to check out our 2025 movie release schedule to see what new movies are headed to a theater near you.