Back To the Future IV: 1st Draft
Writers: Robert Zemeckis
Robert Gale
Immediate Cast List:
Michael J. Fox
Christopher Lloyd
Thomas F. Wilson
(Actually written by me, but hey, someone had to do it!)
Note: This takes place immediately after BTTF 3.
Act 1: 1985
[Movie begins with clips showing the entire trilogy in thirty seconds, ending with Marty and Jennifer watching the train travel back to 1885]
JENNIFER
Looks like you've had one hell of a ride.
MARTY
I guess you could say that.
[CUT TO Marty's bedroom. The clock is seen to have the time 1:15 A.M: The ominous number. Marty is sleeping in the position he always sleeps in: lying on his stomach with his arm behind him. Suddenly, the phone rings. Marty stumbles for the phone.]
MARTY
H-hello?
DOC BROWN
Marty? Is that you?
[MARTY jumps out of bed.]
MARTY
Doc? Is it...Doc? But I thought you were....out of the.....century.
DOC
I've waited 100 years to be able to tell you this. There's been a problem in the past.
MARTY
Wait a minute, Doc? A problem? Already? It hasn't even been a day yet and already there's problems?
DOC
I'll have to explain to you later. Meet me at the Lone Pine mall, October 27th at 1: 20 A.M exactly.
MARTY
Doc, that's in five minutes! I'll have to sneak out of the house and drive there, you realize...
DOC
Fine, fine. Do whatever you can. It'll give you a chance to use that 4x4 you got yesterday.
[At this point, MARTY starts changing his clothes]
DOC
It'll be just like old times.
MARTY
That's what I'm afraid of.
[MARTY is just about to leave when an afterthought hits him]
MARTY
But wait, Doc. How are you going to get here? The DeLorean got totaled last time I checked.
DOC
How do you think? By train, of course.
MARTY
Um, Doc, excuse my ignorance, but do you really expect to be able to get here.....on a steam engine...in a parking lot...and not have anyone notice?
DOC
Don't worry, Marty. I'll be totally inconspicuous.
[CUT TO Lone Pine Mall, at exactly 1:20 A.M. We just see the train pulling up, huffing and puffing as loud as it can]
MARTY
Jesus Christ, Doc. Could you get any louder?
[DOC, with all his western attire on, sticks his head out the window.]
DOC
Marty! How are you now?
MARTY
Just great, Doc. Nice entrance.
[DOC jumps out of the train]
DOC
Right. Sorry about all the noise.
MARTY
That's all right. I don't think anybody noticed.
DOC
All right. Here's the run-down. To make a long story short, I accidentally.....killed your great-great grandfather.
MARTY
WHAT?
DOC
Yes, I know. It happened when I accidentally pushed the wrong coordinates into the time circuits. I went back a day too early. It gets worse, though. About a day later, Buford came in. He wooed his widow. She apparently had bad taste in men.
MARTY
Wait. Are you saying....?
DOC
Yes. Buford Tannen married your great-great grandmother.
MARTY
Uh, Doc? Are you telling me....that Biff Tannen..is now....my BROTHER?
DOC
Wait. Calm down, Marty. This is why I came. We're going back to 1885 to fix this problem. So hop aboard, Marty! We're going to visit the place you just came back from!
MARTY
Great, Doc. Just great. Say, if Biff is my brother, then do I become a major-league asshole like him too?
DOC
Of course! So much, in fact, that it created a second alternate 1985, which I call 1985-B, for Biff. [DOC climbs back into the train] You went on to control and conquer the world, believe it or not.
MARTY
That doesn't sound SO bad.
DOC
Ah, that's where you're wrong. Biff was the only one ruling anything at all. YOU did all his dirty work.
MARTY
What? You mean fighting?
DOC
Wrong again. I mean LITERALLY. You took out all the trash. You became the world's hardest working sanitarian.
[MARTY stands there, thinking about the alternative. Finally, HE says:]
MARTY
All right. Let's go.
DOC
Great! I knew you'd see my side! Come in! I got your suit and everything!
[MARTY is about to walk into the train, when]
MARTY
Wait a sec, Doc. How come this alternate universe isn't taking place now?
DOC
Well, you see, Marty. I've been busy the past couple hours, seeing stuff, the alternate universe, Biff taking over the world, and I tried to stop the problem myself, but, as you've seen, you can only hold Buford back for so long before he prevails. I've done all I can, Marty. Now it's your turn. Help yourself out.
MARTY
Ok, you got yourself a deal, Doc. But promise me....
DOC
Yes?
MARTY
No more time travel after this? I've been in four different time periods in one day. I'm kind of done for, oh, the rest of my life.
DOC
Deal. Get in.
[MARTY gets in]
DOC
You'll find everything you need in the back. Hurry up. We don't have much time.
MARTY
Dammit, Doc....
[MARTY puts on cowboy outfit from BTTF 3]
[Train speeds up until finally, it hits 88 mph and leaves for 1885.]
END ACT I