Gallery: Behind the Scenes of Back to the Future II's Epic Shoot
Screenshot01readout
Where we're going, you don't need a mouse; just press the left/right arrows to move through the gallery. (Or swipe, you crazy touchscreener. Doc Brown warned us about you.)
HarperCollins02BacktotheFutureR1-INT-080515.indd
Maybe the most enduring image of *BTTF 2* (well, along with the self-lacing Nike Mags), the hoverboard was the product of two years of conceptual development by ILM's John Bell. Ultimately, more than 60 boards were built for the movie sequence, which took three weeks to film.
HarperCollins03BacktotheFuture-hires-pg 117
Crispin Glover's return for *BTTF2* was in doubt from the beginning. In January 1989, a month before filming began, the actor fired his agents who had negotiated a fee double what the actor had gotten for the original movie. The new agents fought for more money, but the filmmakers lowered their offer, and the actor bowed out. (George McFly was eventually ortrayed by a different actor wearing prosthetic makeup.)
HarperCollins04BacktotheFuture-pg 136
Production sketches for the "pizza hydrator," which the 2015 McFly family used to [reconstitute](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ztwns5PkJY) their Pizza Hut dinner.
HarperCollins05BacktotheFutureR1-INT-080515.indd
Storyboards for Doc Brown's DeLorean reveal in the original movie. The illustrator, Andrew Probert, was also responsible for the movie's original logo, as well as many of the design sketches of the DeLorean as we came to know it.
HarperCollins06BacktotheFutureR1-INT-080515.indd
Some of Andrew Probert's many design sketches of the DeLorean. (Other artists worked to design the car's interior, but Probert's work on the exterior, building on the contributions of concept artists Ron Cobb and Lawrence Paull, determined the car's final form.)
HarperCollins07BacktotheFutureR1-INT-080515.indd
*BTTF 2*’s costume designer, Joanna Johnston, designed almost 150 original outfits for background performers—in addition to those for the central characters. On the bottom row, you can see her designs for Biff's son Griff and his crew (Heck, Spike, and Whitney).
HarperCollins08BacktotheFutureR1-INT-080515.indd
Joanna Johnston's costumes, as realized in the actual movie.
HarperCollins09BacktotheFutureR1-INT-080515.indd
Some of John Bell's character sketches for the hoverboard sequence. Notice Griff's "audio/video hookup" and the TV screen embedded in his pants.
Spooky New Infostealer Malware Uses AI to ‘Autodox’ Victims
Named “Volta-Autodoxer,” the recently uncovered malware uses AI tools to collect troves of data about victims, from login credentials and credit card numbers to Discord sessions and UberEats receipts.
Lily Hay Newman
There’s a Completely New Type of Whisky. It’s French and Made in Concrete Eggs
The founders of Maison Lineti are, in a world first, making single malt whisky as if it were wine—and the spirit world is mighty impressed.
Jeremy White
Light Up Your Home Like Christmas With These Smart String Lights
Glow up your home indoors or out with these versatile, discounted, full color smart string lights. They’re WIRED-tested and 25 percent off right now.
Simon Hill
Power Outages Are No Match for This Fridge Battery
Backup by BioLite is designed to power your fridge when the grid goes down. It works, but protecting your ice cream doesn’t come cheap.
Christopher Null
Meta’s Muse Could Upend All Kinds of Businesses. It Hasn’t Yet
Companies have spent the past several weeks trying to reassure investors that Muse and other AI agents pose more of an opportunity than a threat.
Paresh Dave
An AI Agent Injected Drugs Into a Live Mouse’s Brain
A biotech startup let an agent choose a gene therapy and successfully inject the treatment, offering a startling glimpse of the future of research labs.
Emily Mullin
Get Bose QC Headphones at Their Lowest Price Ever
They’re a steal at over 40 percent off in multiple colors. Plus, other great Bose deals you should know about ahead of Black Friday.
Harry Rabinowitz
The Keurig Alta Brewer Can Do It All, With No Plastic Pods
This multifaceted home coffee brewer and its new AltaRounds will make you rethink everything you know about Keurig machines.
Louryn Strampe
Are Memories Transferable? Meet the Scientists Replicating an Infamous Study to Find Out
In the 1960’s, an odd experiment showed planarian worms could transfer memories by consuming each other. It was a sensational finding—that is until the worms stopped learning.
Claire L. Evans
Sunrise Alarm Clocks to Help You Adjust to Shorter Days
I’ve never been a morning person. This bedside gadget is the only thing that’s ever changed that.
Nena Farrell
White Dwarfs Aren’t Just White. Scientists Discover Dying Stars Turning Pink and Green
Astronomers find that a white dwarf’s density and the kind of material it absorbed from its surroundings can produce a rainbow of shades in the star’s atmosphere.
Petr Kubala
Wayfair Coupons for November 2026
Get 10% off with Wayfair promo code, up to 80% off furniture, and more top coupons.
Molly Higgins