9 Iconic Movie Props With Seriously Strange Backstories

3. The DeLorean from Back to the Future

The iconic DeLorean time machine, with its futuristic gull-wing doors, almost looked drastically different. Early drafts of Back to the Future envisioned the time machine as a mundane refrigerator, then later as a laser device mounted in a pickup truck. Director Robert Zemeckis's pragmatic decision to use a car and the struggling DeLorean Motor Company's real-life financial woes cemented the car's role. Ironically, while the film soared to critical and commercial success, the real DMC declared bankruptcy shortly before the movie's release. The DeLorean's cinematic redemption parallels its real-world struggle, transforming a commercial failure into a beloved pop culture icon.