Editing Back to the Future (section)

===Development===
[[File:Steven Spielberg - GianAngelo Pistoia 1 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|alt=Steven Spielberg shown talking into a microphone|[[Steven Spielberg]] in 1993. He mentored Zemeckis and lent his experience and Hollywood studio clout to support the production of ''Back to the Future''.]]

Price opted not to [[green-light]] the second draft; although he liked it, he did not believe it would appeal to anyone else.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|pp=12, 13}} The most successful comedies at the time, such as ''[[Animal House]]'' (1978), ''[[Porky's]]'' (1981), and ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]'' (1982), featured sexual and bawdy elements; ''Back to the Future'' was considered too tame in comparison.<ref name="NYTimesRushedPostPro" /><ref name="EsquireDidntGetMade" /> The project went into [[Turnaround (filmmaking)|turnaround]] (a process allowing other studios to purchase the idea).<ref name="EsquireDidntGetMade" />{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=13}} The script was rejected some forty times, sometimes multiple times by the same studios.<ref name="BOMGaleInterview" /> Reasons given included the concept being unappealing to contemporary rebellious youth{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=13}} and the failures of other time travel films, such as ''[[The Final Countdown (film)|The Final Countdown]]'' (1980) and ''[[Time Bandits]]'' (1981).<ref name="EsquireDidntGetMade" /><ref name="Gizmodo11things" /> [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Productions]] turned it down because they considered Marty's fighting off his future mother's advances too risqué for their brand.<ref name="NYTimesRushedPostPro" /> The only supporter of the project was Spielberg, but with their previous collaborations considered relative failures, Gale and Zemeckis feared another misstep would suggest they could get work only through being friends with Spielberg.<ref name="BOMGaleInterview" /><ref name="NYTimesRushedPostPro" />

Zemeckis accepted the next project offered to him, ''[[Romancing the Stone]]'' (1984).<ref name="HFPAOralHistory" /><ref name="NYTimesRushedPostPro" />{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=14}} Against expectations, the film was a significant success and gave Zemeckis enough credibility to return to ''Back to the Future''.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name="BOMGaleInterview" /><ref name="TheGuardianHowWeMade" /><ref name="NYTimesRushedPostPro" />{{sfn|Gaines|2015|pp=15–16}}}} Zemeckis held a grudge against the studios that had rejected the project and turned to Spielberg, who had set up his own production company, [[Amblin Entertainment]], at [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], where Price now worked.<ref name="ShortList" />{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=16}} Spielberg disliked Price because he had rejected ''[[E.T.&nbsp;the Extra-Terrestrial]]'' (1982) and demanded his involvement in ''Back to the Future'' be minimal. [[Sidney Sheinberg]] installed himself as chief executive to oversee the studio's investment in the project.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=17}} Amblin executives [[Kathleen Kennedy (producer)|Kathleen Kennedy]] and [[Frank Marshall (filmmaker)|Frank Marshall]] joined Spielberg as the film's [[executive producers]].<ref name="EsquireDidntGetMade" /><ref name="VanityFairPowerful" />

However, rights to ''Back to the Future'' remained with Columbia Pictures. Price's successor at Columbia Pictures, [[Guy McElwaine]], was developing a satire of the Universal-owned noir film ''[[Double Indemnity]]'' (1944) called ''[[Big Trouble (1986 film)|Big Trouble]]'' (1986). Its similarities to ''Double Indemnity'' meant the studio would violate Universal Pictures' copyright. With production imminent, McElwaine asked for the rights from Price; in exchange, Price obtained the rights to ''Back to the Future''.<ref name="DeadlinePrice" />

Sheinberg suggested modifications to the film, including changing the title to ''Space Man from Pluto'', believing ''Back to the Future'' would not resonate with audiences.<ref name="CNNGaleInterview" /><ref name="Radio Times 30 August 2016" /> Gale and Zemeckis did not know how to reject Sheinberg's suggestions without risking his ire. Spielberg intervened, sending Sheinberg a memo reading: "Hi Sid, thanks for your most humorous memo, we all got a big laugh out of it, keep 'em coming." Spielberg knew Sheinberg would be too embarrassed to admit his memo was to be taken seriously.<ref name="ShortList" /><ref name="Radio Times 30 August 2016" /> Sheinberg later claimed the story was "bullshit".{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=111}} Sheinberg also wanted to change the name of Marty's mother from Meg to Lorraine (a tribute to his wife [[Lorraine Gary]]), and rename Professor Brown to Doc Brown because he considered it more accessible.<ref name="CNNGaleInterview" />{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=18}} The third draft was completed by July 1984.{{sfn|Gaines|2015|p=18}} The lengthy development allowed Gale and Zemeckis to refine the script's jokes, especially ones that had become dated since 1980.<ref name="NYTimesGaleJul85" /> The joke about former actor [[Ronald Reagan]] becoming [[President of the United States]] remained following his re-election in [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]].<ref name="NYTimesGaleJul85" />