Crispin Glover was infamously replaced as George McFly for Back To The Future Part II, but who actually played the role in the sequel? Back To The Future sees Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly accidentally transported back in time 30 years, where he must figure out a way to get back to this own timeline while uniting his teenage parents – or he’ll be wiped from existence. Back To The Future was a sci-fi classic when it was released and has only gotten better with age. It’s perfectly cast, shot, edited and scored, and it spawned two sequels, a cartoon series and numerous video games.
While fans would love to see a Back To The Future Part IV, director Robert Zemeckis and writer Bob Gale have ruled out a return to protect the integrity of the trilogy. The franchise is known for replacing actors in key roles, with Elizabeth Shue replacing Claudia Wells as Jennifer for Back To The Future Part II – to the point the original ending had to be entirely reshot with Shue in Wells’ place – but the most famous is Eric Stoltz. He was cast as Marty in Back To The Future when Fox wasn’t available, but despite filming for an estimated six weeks, Zemeckis and producer Steven Spielberg concluded he didn’t have the right comic tone for the film, with his Marty being too intense.
The decision was made to scrap all his footage and start again with Michael J. Fox, and given how well Back To The Future turned out, this is a hard decision to fault. The same can’t be said for Crispin Glover being replaced in Back To The Future Part II, though. Glover’s endearingly quirky portrayal of George is one of the original film’s highlights, but he clashed with Zemeckis during filming. He especially hated the ending, where George and the family have become rich thanks to his newfound confidence, with Glover feeling linking wealth with happiness was a horrible message.
![Who Played George McFly In Back To The Future 2 (Not Crispin Glover)](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/back-to-the-future-2-biff-jeffrey-weissman.jpg)
Crispin Glover has since revealed he was offered much less money than his other returning co-stars for Back To The Future Part II, so he dropped out. Instead of recasting the part, the filmmakers decided to reuse footage of Glover from the original and cast a new actor in prosthetics to resemble Glover. Jeffrey Weissman (Pale Rider) stepped into the role, initially believing he would be photo double for Glover before learning he’d essentially be playing the part. Weissman had to play George from ages 17 to 77, and in the latter section he was hung upside; many believed this was to hide the fact it wasn’t Glover, but Weissman has said this was always the plan and was apparently planned as punishment for Glover’s behavior on the first movie.
Since Back To The Future Part II and Part III used Crispin Glover’s likeness without his permission or compensation, he launched a lawsuit against the production. He was awarded a settlement and this resulted in changes to SAG rules about using the likeness of another actor without their consent. Glover was also less than happy with Weissman’s performance as George, and Weissman has claimed in an interview with Hasslein Books he was blacklisted by Universal as a result of a conversion he had with Glover about the sequel prior to the lawsuit. Jeffrey Weissman has continued to act and recently appeared in fan film Project 88: Back to the Future Too.