Forrest Gump Gets A Sequel
Itís been thirteen years since Forrest Gump first ran into theaters, and now it looks like Americaís favorite chocolate loving mental deficient may be back for a sequel. Forrest Gump II isnít a new idea, Paramount has been kicking it around since the original movie made a bajillion dollars, and in 2001 they even hired Forrest Gump writer Eric Roth to pen a sequel screenplay.
An absolutely reliable, unfortunately anonymous source, contacted me tonight with the latest scoop on Forrestís impending return. It seems that old 2001 Eric Roth screenplay is being dragged out of development hell for another look by Gump producers Steve Tisch and Wendy Finerman. Remember that the first Forrest Gump movie was based on a novel by Winston Groom. Rothís sequel script was based on Groomís followup novel, ìGump & Coî. ìGump & Coî takes place several years after ìForrest Gumpî and finds Forrestís shrimping business failed and Jenny dead, leaving Forrest a single unemployed father. As youíd expect, Gump still stumbles through more important historical events. In this case itís a cavalcade of history from the 80s and 90s. He even meets Tom Hanks.
So, why didnít Paramount make this five years ago when Roth first wrote the script? Apparently the project got bogged down in a big legal tiff between Groom, the bookís original author, and the studio. Groom claimed he wasnít properly paid for Forrest Gump, and so refused to sell them the sequel rights to his other book. Evidently theyíve now worked it out.
The truly important question here is whether or not Tom Hanks will return. Our source says Finerman and Tisch are talking to him, but thereís nothing definitive yet. It is however likely that Gary Sinise will be back as Forrestís battle damaged buddy Lt. Dan. If Tom canít be talked into it, will they replace him? Word is they want this in theaters within the next couple of years, so while itís possible, letís hope theyíre smart enough to scrap it if heís not interested. No one does a better potty dance.
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