The folks over at Moviehole are speaking with American Reunion helmers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg regarding the two-year deal they’ve just signed with Universal. A truth nugget that gives cause for concern:
“We want Back to the Future, just come out and say it”, Hurwitz nudges Scholssberg into admitting. “That’s our favourite trilogy. We’re always having this conversation…”
Continues Hurwitz, “There’s an influence in this movie and the Harold and Kumar movies in the sense that I remember, we both remember loving Back to the Future, and the second one coming out, and just feeling the excitement of seeing it, and people can debate and argue how good it is and everything but that’s what I love about franchises and sequels is, “Oh my God, it’s coming out.” So for us American Pie Reunion, it’s… If it’s a fraction of the excitement of what that was, that’s the kind of movie going experience that we like, we like to try to get.”
They go on to say that their take, if given the go-ahead, would most likely be sequel rather than reboot. I’d like to think Universal is protective enough of one of their prized properties so as to not let this happen (especially without Zemeckis) – But they know there’s still money to be wrung from this franchise (as evidenced here, here and here). And a Back to the Future film, in one form or another, seems not just plausible but altogether likely at some point.
Honestly, I would love if Back to the Future is where the line was drawn in franchise rebootqueling. But these aren’t beloved franchises to studios; they’re intellectual properties that can be exploited for the bottom line. What bugs me about the above Hurwitz and Schlossberg quote isn’t that they want to make it, but that nowhere do they mention they have an idea that’ll make a great film. The dudes just like anticipating sequels.
The original trilogy ends at an emotionally satisfying place. If you’re revisiting it you’re doing it because there’s money to be made. Just say that instead.