Back to the Future writer Bob Gale has revealed that the trilogy’s villain Biff Tannen is based on Donald Trump, putting an end to fan speculation.
In the second film, which was celebrated this week as part of Back to the Future day, Tannen becomes a successful businessman who opens a 27-story casino and, in an oddly prescient touch, uses his money to influence US politics.
“We thought about it when we made the movie! Are you kidding?” Gale said to the Daily Beast. “You watch Part II again and there’s a scene where Marty confronts Biff in his office and there’s a huge portrait of Biff on the wall behind Biff, and there’s one moment where Biff kind of stands up and he takes exactly the same pose as the portrait? Yeah.”
In the film, Biff’s political sway leads to difficult times for the people, turning Hill Valley into a town filled with crime and corruption.
The week has been filled with Back to the Future celebrations to commemorate 21 October 2015, the date that Marty and Doc travel to in the second film. The 1989 movie predicted a time filled with hoverboards, self-tying laces and exhausted shark-thriller franchises.
“We wanted to portray an optimistic, enjoyable, fun future, where the characters are still a mess,” Gale said. “We don’t have Jaws 19, but we have Sharknado 3.”
