Spielberg wanted Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh to play Doc Brown

There are a number of roles that we just can’t imagine anybody but the cast actor playing, and no doubt Christopher Lloyd as Emmett “Doc” Brown is near the top of the list. But if Back to the Future EP Steven Spielberg had gotten his way, the role would have gone to Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh.

Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival — which Mark Mothersbaugh attended in support of a new Devo doc (you can read our own Chris Bumbray’s 8/10 review here) – the composer remembered being approached by Spielberg and Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis after a concert, saying, “‘Hey we want to talk to you about something. We have a film we’re working on and we wanted to talk to you about working on it with us’…I just remember for, like, two weeks, I kept thinking, ‘They’re going to hire me to score their film.’” Instead, Spielberg and Robert Zemecksi invited Mothersbaugh to a meeting and told him how much they liked his look and energy, telling him, “There’s a part in the film with a guy who runs around in a lab coat and has a car that can go through time. We want you to play that part.”

Of course, Mark Mothersbaugh would neither star in nor score Back to the Future (maybe he can cameo in BTTF IV?), as those duties went to Alan Silvestri, who we all know should have been nominated for an Oscar…But there is still a pretty cool Devo reference in Back to the Future when Marty McFly asks Doc, “Is that a Devo suit?” Mothersbaugh would soon enough go on to compose the theme for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, in addition to movies such as Revenge of the Nerds II, Happy Gilmore and a number of Wes Anderson films.

Certainly Mark Mothersbaugh is one of the odder choices to have been considered, especially compared to the likes of Jeff Goldbum, John Lithgow, Mandy Patinkin, and Robin Williams, who were all on the table at different points.

How do you think Mark Mothersbaugh would have played “Doc” Brown in Back to the Future? What is your favorite score of his? Let us know below!