<Li> James Tolkan as Marshal James Strickland </Li> <Li> Elisabeth Shue as Jennifer Parker </Li> <Li> Flea as Douglas J. Needles </Li> <P> The origins of the western theme for Back to the Future Part III lie in the production of the original film . During filming for the original, director Zemeckis asked Michael J. Fox what time period he would like to see . Fox replied that he wanted to visit the Old West and meet cowboys . Zemeckis and writer / producer Bob Gale were intrigued by the idea, but held it off until Part III . Rather than use existing sets, the filmmakers built the 1885 Hill Valley from scratch . The western scenes were filmed on location in Monument Valley . Some of the location shooting for the 1885 Hill Valley was done in Jamestown, California, and on a purpose - built set at the Red Hills Ranch near Sonora, California . Some of the train scenes were filmed at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, a heritage line in Jamestown . Whereas the original film played to a more materialistic idea of success, Zemeckis considered Part III more of a "human journey" with spiritual overtones . </P>

Who played needles in back to the future 3