He seems almost ageless , but how honest-to-goodness is Principal Strickland in everyBack To The Futuretimeline ? It ’s now part of the legend of the originalBack To The Futurethat it fritter for around six weeks with thespian Eric Stoltz playing the lead role of Marty McFly . Director Robert Zemeckis ' first alternative Michael J. Fox was too busy with sitcomFamily Tiesto take the part , but after sour with Stoltz and reviewing the footage that had been blast , he and producer Steven Spielberg both decide the actor had been miscast and the movie was n’t work .
While it must have been rough for Eric Stoltz it was remove the good choice for the movie , which is now considered one of the salutary sci - fi escapade ever made . Two continuation followed withBack To The Future Part ’s IIandIIIarriving in 1989 and 1990 respectively . While audience requirement for another continuation is still there , Zemeckis has held fast to his belief the series should be a ego - continued trilogy and has resisted calls for aBack To The Future Part IV .
That said , there have beenBack To The Futurecontinuations over the years in the form of TV game and short films such as 2015’sDoc Brown Saves The World . While he does n’t have much screentime throughout the trilogy , Principal Strickland is still a rooter preferent character . Strickland is the ostensibly ageless principal of Hill Valley High with a low margin for " slacker " such as George McFly or his son Marty . Strickland appear in both 1955 and 1985 virtually unchanged , making his geezerhood hard to pinpoint .
According toBack To The Future : The Gamefrom 2010 , Principal Strickland was born in 1925 . This would make him 30 in 1955 and 60 in 1985 , and while he ’s not seen in the yr 2015 he would be 90 - and presumably still appear exactly the same . For comparing , Strickland ’s performing artist James Tolkan was in his early 50s when he shot the original movie . Tolkan also impersonate the principal ’s ascendant Marshal Strickland inBack To The Future Part III , though no age is given for this character , meaning he could be anything from 30 to 60 too .
Marshal Strickland was originally supposed to snuff it in the third film , having been germinate in the back by " Mad Dog " Tannen , but this scene was move out from the final cut for being too dismal . While barely detectable , there is one visible deviation between the 1955 and 1985 version of Principal Strickland inBack To The Future ; the former still has some dark-brown haircloth while the latter is completely fresh - shaved .
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