London’s Daily Mail and several other sources are reporting movement toward a stage version of Back to the Future, to open in late 2015 in London. Next year will be the thirtieth anniversary of the release of the iconic time-traveling film trilogy starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd (and, coincidentally, the year in the future to which the story traveled in its second installment).

The films’ writer, Bob Gale, and director Robert Zemeckis had been discussing a stage project for several years, but apparently clicked when they met with London-based director Jamie Lloyd and producer Colin Ingram.

“We met Brits, and we met Americans, but we decided on the Brits — Jamie and Colin — because they’re seeing our material through slightly different cultural eyes,” said Gale. But he also expressed caution, noting that many movies which are turned into musicals don’t succeed, citing Catch Me If You Can and Big Fish. “What made them think they could turn those movies into stage musicals?”

A plus for BttF, he noted is that “you’ve got a main character who wants to be a rock musician,” which is a help.

In the first movie in the trilogy, Marty McFly (Fox) travels from 1985 to 1955 in a time machine built by Doc Brown (Lloyd), and meets his parents as teenagers. His father-to-be is the prototypical sf nerd, and his mother is a popular girl who becomes amorously interested in Marty. Gale explains, “It’s about a boy who teaches his father to be a man, and his mother to be who she wants to be. And he gets to deal with his own issues, too.”

Gale and Zemeckis have written a script that follows the film’s storyline to a degree, “but not slavishly. The script stands on its own,” he said. “It’s a different version of the same story.”

Lloyd has also been helping to shape the show and will direct two workshops: the first in Los Angeles in July, for producers at Universal Stage Productions and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment; and a second in London in August, for Ingram’s London colleagues and theatre owners.

The Mail also notes that “the movie opens with ‘The Power Of Love’ by Huey Lewis And The News, and that that song will be in the show, along with ‘Johnny B. Goode’, ‘Earth Angel’, and ‘Mr. Sandman’. Alan Silvestri, who wrote the original score for the films, will collaborate with Glen Ballard on some original songs. Ingram said the show will stick to the same time periods as the first film. ‘You can’t mess with history,’ he joked.

“Andrew Willis, who designed the Hackney Wick skateboarding park, has signed on as a consultant and will help the cast with their skateboarding skills.

“The creative team will also include set designer Soutra Gilmour, lighting expert Jon Clark, and illusionist Paul Kieve.

“‘Now all we have to find is a young man to play Marty,’ Ingram said. ‘He needs to be a guitarist, a singer, an actor — and good looking. We’ll provide the time machine.'”