Back to the Future (partially found Eric Stoltz performance as Marty McFly footage of science-fiction film; 1985)
Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly with Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown.
Status: Partially Found
In preparation for filming the 1985 science fiction comedy Back to the Future, director Robert Zemeckis and producer Bob Gale wished to cast Michael J. Fox in the lead role of Marty McFly, but were unable to due to his commitment to the TV sitcom, Family Ties, so at a studio executive's insistence, actor Eric Stoltz was cast instead. However, after filming roughly five weeks of footage with him, Zemeckis felt that Stoltz wasn't playing the type of comedy that the part required, and fired him. By that time, Fox had become available again, and filming resumed with him in the role.
The footage as a whole has never been released, although many photographs have surfaced, and in 2010 for the 25th-anniversary release of the film on Blu-ray and DVD, several silent excerpts of Stoltz playing Marty were included as part of a new documentary about the first film on the discs. In a 2008 interview with The Opie and Anthony radio show, Bob Gale stated that Eric's scenes would not be released due to them not wanting to "embarrass him" with the footage.