At this point, the number of original film franchises that haven’t been rebooted, remade, or legacy sequelized is far outnumbered by those that have been. Nothing is sacred, and nothing has ever been, since remakes and the like have been part of filmmaking forever. Even so, it’s nice when a franchise is able to avoid the kind of continued dilution that comes with over-saturation. That’s certainly the case with the beloved sci-fi comedy Back to the Future.
Though the original classic was followed by two inarguably inferior sequels, both have become beloved in their own right. Any attempt to make a new version of Back to the Future now would be met with a lot of outsized rage. Thankfully, there’s no chance of that happening until both director Robert Zemeckis and writer-producer Bob Gale pass away, since both have ultimate veto power over any new installments in the franchise. So, while we all hope they both stay healthy and the franchise remains untouched, it hurts no one to speculate what Back to the Future might look like if it were being (perfectly) cast in 2026.
Jennifer – Zoey Deutch
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Image via Netflix</figure>
Jennifer is by far the most thankless role in the Back to the Future franchise, so much so that many people forget the part was recast between the first and second film. Elisabeth Shue replaced Claudia Wells when the latter had to step away for personal reasons, though both actresses were given nothing to do in their respective films. Jennifer in the first film is a stock girlfriend character, and she spends the majority of her screen time in the sequels fainting and being placed in different locations.
If there’s one role that could actually benefit from a reboot, it’s Jennifer, and if you need an actress who can bring something special to the role, why not give it to Zoey Deutch, who’s been on a killer comedy run as of late. From Zombieland: Double Tap to the recent Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass and the harmless Voicemails for Isabelle, Deutch brings the funny and plenty of charm. She could be a real comedic asset for a character who deserves more to do than look pretty and pass out.
Principal Strickland – J.K. Simmons
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Image via MGM+</figure>
Just outside the core five characters that form the heart and soul of the franchise is the ever-solid supporting character of Principal Strickland. He’s the universal representative of law and order in the franchise, present in every timeline, whether as a school administrator, gun-toting badass of Hell Valley, or mustached sheriff. Consummate character actor James Tolkan was perfect in the role, and any new version would need a similar actor who can provide sturdy support.
Enter J.K. Simmons, an actor equally adept at playing a vile neo-Nazi as he is at playing the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle. Despite winning an Academy Award, Simmons has continued down his path of ultimate supporting actor, and it’s not hard to imagine him having a ball with this kind of role, especially if he got to play any of the aforementioned variants of the character. Simmons is fun to watch no matter what he’s in, and his gravitas and baritone voice exude authority, making him the ideal choice for this small but pivotal role.
George – Cooper Hoffman
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Image via Sony Pictures Releasing</figure>
Now it comes to the most essential characters of the franchise. If it weren’t for the sequels, George McFly might be just as essential as Doc and Marty. Thanks to some behind-the-scenes drama between original actor Crispin Glover and Bob Gale, he was relegated to a minor supporting role in Parts II and III, where he was played by Jeffrey Weissman, mostly in the background or hung upside down. However, the character is integral to the first installment, and any new version would have to distinguish itself from Glover’s singularly strange performance.
Cooper Hoffman has proven himself a dynamic screen presence thanks to his roles in films like Licorice Pizza, The Long Walk, and I Want Your Sex. The son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman can be confident and charming or awkward and soft-spoken in equal measure, and all those qualities are essential for George. He’s a character that could quickly become grating and annoying if he’s not pitched perfectly, and Hoffman seems about as perfect as any actor to take on that kind of challenge.
Biff – Connor Storrie
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Image via Crave/HBO</figure>
Biff is a deceptively complicated character. He seems like a stock bully character on the surface, one that comes complete with an uncomfortable level of sexual violence, but his roles in the sequels expanded him into a sort of cosmic evil. He’s a constant presence no matter what the timeline, always there to create chaos and destruction in the lives of the McFlys. With all that, he should be easy to despise, yet Thomas F. Wilson, the low-key MVP of the franchise, makes him a lovable loser almost worthy of as much pity as hate.
Connor Storrie‘s star is currently on the rise thanks to his role in the phenomenon that is Heated Rivalry. That series provided clear proof of his dramatic capability, while his hosting duties on Saturday Night Live showed off his comedic chops. With a background in improv and the ability to rock a serious case of RBF (resting bully face), Storrie could make Biff all his own and explore all the multitudes the character has to offer.
Lorraine – Inde Navarrette
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Image via Focus Features</figure>
Similar to Biff, the character of Lorraine exists across all timelines. She’s everything from a silently suffering mother of three to a hormonal lovestruck teen to a heavy-drinking trophy wife to an Irish immigrant pioneer. Lea Thompson nailed all of those variants, but the most important are the first two. Her performance in the first film is downright Oscar-worthy, and any actress who takes on the role would need to be able to make both versions of Lorraine believable and cohesive.
If there’s any actress who has some experience balancing wildly different versions of the same character, it’s Inde Navarrete, who broke out in 2026 with her acclaimed (and soon-to-be Oscar-nominated) role in Obsession. Her character of Nikki, whom she played as both a real person and the manic pixie nightmare girl version of herself, is worlds away from Lorraine, but there’s a clear shared skill set involved in playing both roles. Navarrette has already been cast in at least one big role in a major franchise after her breakout performance, and hopefully she’ll be given more to flex her acting muscles in the same way a character like Lorraine would.
Doc Brown – Danny Pudi
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Image via NBC</figure>
Christopher Lloyd is perfect as Doc. There’s simply no matching the manic energy, outrageous enthusiasm and genuine heart the actor put into that character. If Lea Thompson should have been nominated for an Oscar for her performance, Lloyd should have won for his. He is Doc, and no one else could play Doc like him, so the only way to cast Doc in 2026 is to find someone with a different kind of energy to make the role their own.
Danny Pudi is best known for his role as Abed on the cult comedy series Community. That character related to everything through pop culture references and provided metatextual commentary on the show. Pudi brought his own unique energy to that role, and it’s easy to see how he could bring something similar to a role like Doc that would be distinct from Lloyd. You can’t beat Christopher Lloyd at his own game, so you need to change the game, and Pudi is the right player to do it with.
Marty – Skyler Gisondo
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Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett Collection</figure>
Marty McFly may not be as colorful a role as his supporting cast members, but he’s still the most important. So important that the original film almost made the fatal mistake of miscasting Eric Stoltz in the role before they course-corrected and made a deal to get Michael J. Fox. Fox’s boundless charisma and comedic timing perfectly mesh with the tone of the film and the performances of the rest of the cast, and Marty has become one of the most iconic ’80s protagonists.
Any time there’s ever any mention of fan casting for a new Back to the Future online, the name most often brought up for Marty is Tom Holland. No disrespect to the Spider-Man actor, whose take on Peter Parker had a certain level of similar energy to Fox as Marty, but there are other actors who could bring something different to the table.Skyler Gisondo, who has been putting in work in films like Superman and series like Santa Clarita Diet, brings awkward charm to all of them in a way that suggests he’d be the perfect 21st-century McFly. Nobody wants to see the Back to the Future timeline get messed with, but if it did, Gisondo would be a perfect alternative for Marty.
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