Tom Hanks says conversations about Forrest Gump 2 lasted for less than an hour and there was no serious consideration for making it.
Sequels are like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. That sort of unpredictability, and a bit of common sense, are the reasons why Tom Hanks never returned to his Oscar-winning role for a possible Forrest Gump 2. The film was an absolute phenomenon in 1994, earning over $678 million worldwide and racking up 13 Academy Award nominations. It won six Oscars, including Best Actor for Hanks, Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, and Best Picture. As you might expect, that kind of success usually means Hollywood will demand a sequel, but during an appearance on The Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by Josh Horowitz, Hanks revealed that serious discussions about a sequel only lasted about 40 minutes.
Forrest Gump was based on Winston Groom’s 1986 novel, which told the story of an Alabama man whose life journey crossed with some of the biggest events and figures of the 20th century. With the help of some groundbreaking CGI effects and an iconic performance by Tom Hanks, the film became an audience favorite, which usually begs for a sequel. According to a report in Variety, however, Forrest Gump 2 died a quick death after Hanks and company talked about it. “We did take a stab at talking about another ‘Forrest Gump’ that lasted all of 40 minutes,” he said. “And then…we said, ‘Guys, come on,'” indicating that no premise for a sequel was ever taken seriously. Groom would eventually write a follow-up book, Gump and Co., which could form the basis for a sequel, should Hanks change his mind.
Incredibly, Forrest Gump marked the last time Tom Hanks won an Oscar, which made him a back-to-back winner following a Best Actor win for Philadelphia in 1993. He would earn three more acting Oscar nominations over the years (for Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), but rarely felt the need to revisit his roles. That’s one of the main reasons why he never seriously considered Forrest Gump 2, although he did make sequels for Toy Story and The Da Vinci Code. “A smart thing I did is I’ve never signed a contract that had a contractual obligation to a sequel,” he said. “I’ve always said, ‘Guys, if there’s a reason to do it, let’s do it. But you guys can’t force me.'” He also said the lure of more money was never a motivator.
Tom Hanks’ latest film, Pinocchio, is a live-action version of the classic animated film, and the actor had to ask Zemeckis to cast him as Geppetto. Tom Hanks admits to checking in on Zemeckis every few months to see if he’s working on a project not titled Forrest Gump 2 that he would want to join. When he learned the director was making Pinocchio, he expressed his interest, much to Zemeckis’ surprise. The film is now playing on Disney+ streaming service.
Pinocchio marks the fourth collaboration for Tom Hanks with Robert Zemeckis, with 2000’s Cast Away and 2004’s The Polar Express following Gump. He is due to do a fifth film with Zemeckis, and while it won’t be Forrest Gump 2, it will be a Gump reunion of sorts. The film, titled Here, is based on the Richard McGuire novel and tells the story of the different people that inhabit a room over a long period of time, stretching from the past into the future. It not only will reunite Hanks and Zemeckis, but Jenny herself, Robin Wright, will be in the film as well. It isn’t known yet if the two will share the screen.
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