Secondly, his mental disability is clear, but not overdone. This Zelig-esque quality to Forrest Gump is undoubtedly a massive part of the films success. By Cameron Bonomolo And the big event in that, which you could see was diminished only in tragedy, I guess, because its the same tragedy, but every day hed go wait for his Native American partner. This type of character arc could be boring a character constantly winning lacks tension. But let's play fantasy filmmaking for just a second. Forrest Gump Script Takeaway #2 Favorite Forrest Gump Characters Like with its quotes, Forrest Gump characters are iconic: Bubba, Lieutenant Dan, Mrs. Gump, Forrest, Jenny. People reports that in many of the scenes where Gump makes his way across America doing something which resembles an Irish dance gone wrong, Jim Hanks was called on to carry the burden. In a somewhat bewildering interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Eric Roth the film's Oscar-winning screenwriter revealed that he had drafted and turned in a script for a sequel on September 10, 2001. Titled Gump & Co., the book finds Forrest's shrimp business going under, leaving him trying to sell encyclopedias on the street while he raises Little Forrest. Today we take a seat on a bus bench on the humble streets of Savannah, Georgia to discuss number 89 on the WGA 101 list - which, if the Southern setting was no indicator, is FORREST GUMP (screenplay by Eric Roth and based on the novel by Winston Groom). So there was a big conflict.". Bubba would have taught him about boats and Lt. Dan would come and find him. As Roth explained to Consequence of Sound, people didn't want to go to class with Gump Jr. because of his disease. And he was sitting on the bench waiting for her to have lunch and all of a sudden the building behind him blows up. 1 Mar. It differed significantly from the book but never materialized in film form. () . film starring Tom Hanks, is revealing what was planned for the sequel and why it was never made. And that's not the only highlight of his career, either. Once again, this goes awry, as Forrest briefly meets with President Reagan before being set up as the fall guy for the Iran-Contra Affair; hes promptly jailed as the other conspirators walk away free. The 9/11 terror attacks impacted the production of quite a few films from Spider-Man to Lilo & Stitch but it stopped the Forrest Gump sequel from even getting past the screenplay phase. Both were nominated for Best Picture Oscars but unlike "Forrest Gump" they didn't have the legs to cross the finish line. Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. So when 9/11 occurred everything felt meaningless., Tom Hanks dubs upcoming 'Toy Story 4' 'profound' and a 'moment in history', How a 'second-string' mermaid movie made Tom Hanks a global movie star, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. People wouldnt go to class with (Forrest Jr.) in Florida," said Roth. "It was gonna start with his little boy having AIDS," Roth said. Those must be comfortable shoes. Although the novel details Forrests later encounters with both President George Bush and President Bill Clinton, the majority of the story focuses on hsi difficult relationship with an adolescent Forrest Jr., who had become a rebellious alcoholic like his mother. Given that Forrests plans usually end in disaster, he inadvertently invents the disastrous New Coke before stumbling his way back to Washington D.C., where he is reunited with Dan. INT. In the role of Lieutenant Dan, Sinise also drew heavily on the experiences several members of his wife's family had while serving in Vietnam. Nobody was laughing while leaving the theater, and that wasn't going to change in the sequel either, as Eric Roth had no intention of letting our chocolate-loving hero have a happy ending. "Forrest would have been in New Orleans for (2005 hurricane) Katrina where his own common sense would have saved him and others," Hanks added. The movie version of the opening: Some observations: . He also co-wrote the screenplays for several Oscar-nominated films: The Insider (1999), Munich (2005), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Honestly, celebrities just need to stay away from this guy. To understand how important destiny is to these characters, take a look at Lieutenant Dan. Forrest Gump is one of the most quintessential movie classics of the 1990s. While he captures Saddam Hussein during Desert Storm and accidentally brings down the Berlin Wall, Forrest isn't so successful in the rest of his endeavors. Before Haley Joel Osment became world-famous as the haunted-looking kid who made the phrase, "I see dead people" famous in "The Sixth Sense," he played the five-year-old son of "Forrest Gump." "All the political figures would be too obvious, so Forrest would have chatted up both Mark Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins about how it would be nice if you had a book that would show a person's face and make a friend," Hanks said. Here are some other things about the film you might not have known. "Every interview will be about "Forrest Gump" at some point," Hanks told the audience and guests on The Graham Norton Show. Eric Roth's Ideas for 'Forrest Gump 2' Image via Paramount Pictures While it was unclear if the tongue-in-cheek meta references from Gump & Co. would have been part of his script, Roth. He accidentally crashes the Exxon-Valdez and screws up the formula for New Coke. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and Sally Field. He leaves the bus stop and goes to Jennys apartment, where its revealed she is raising their child. It would be remiss not to mention the other key element to Gumps quotability: Tom Hanks. The man was burned out by his own quotes, and he didn't want to share any more of Mama's wisdom. During this heartfelt farewell, she explains that she was destined to be his mama. The Forrest voiceover plays it off like its nothing, which only makes the realization more satisfying for the audience. What if the original team who made Forrest Gump managed to get the band back together and make part two? While he's there, he meets a not-so-pleasant co-worker by the name of John Hinckley Jr., the guy who'd later go on to shoot Ronald Reagan. And he was sitting on the bench waiting for her to have lunch and all of a sudden the building behind him blows up. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. He even borrowed the dog tags and rosary for the part from his bother-in-law. My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. Create script breakdowns, sides, schedules, storyboards, call sheets and more. He's a marathon runner, a football star, a ping pong expert, and he can put away some Dr Peppers. It's an unlikely place for a war to rage, but Hollywood is capable of the strangest alchemy. She was teaching at the nursery school inside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. And with two major American cities still smoking, the trio decided that Forrest Gump 2 simply had "no meaning anymore." Forrest Gump 2 Script Exists and It's Pretty Crazy By Kevin Burwick Published Mar 21, 2019 Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth reveals the insane details behind his sequel screenplay and why. The go-to source for comic book and superhero movie fans. Most notably, the film beat out Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption to win Best Picture. And Robert Zemeckis certainly isn't averse to doing sequels. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing . But perhaps their most impressive work was putting Tom Hanks into archival footage alongside famous historical figures. For one, he was tired of all those Forrest catchphrases. Forrest Gump is treated coldly, but plot her and Jenny invites him to sit beside they become good friends. Please write a short essay in response to this script. This included OJ Simpson's infamous attempt to flee the LAPD for the charge of murder in a white Ford Bronco. He seems just about as intellectually challenged and awkward as Forrest, and they become fast friends. Some actors create chemistry together that crackles, snaps, pops, and engages the audience with its striking dynamic. That's 52 more than Gump completed in the movie. There were once talks about a "Forrest Gump 2," which would have starred Hanks and, presumably, Osment, but those plans dried up in, literally, about 40 minutes. . But screenwriter Eric Roth, who picked up an Oscar for the 1994 film starring Tom Hanks, is revealing what was planned for the sequel and why it was never made. Sign up for notifications from Insider! And really, that's probably for the best. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Godfather," "The Exorcist," "Harry Potter," "Fight Club," and "Lord of the Rings" are all equally famous in print and on celluloid. In "Forrest Gump" the Vietnam scenes were not shot in Southeast Asia but in South Carolina. more, All Eric Roth scripts | Eric Roth Scripts. If there's one thing that stands out from Tom Hanks' performance in Forrest Gump, it's that slow, methodical, and unmistakable drawl that could only have been cut and refined in the deepest parts of the South. At the end of the video, Tom Hanks pops up smiling and simply said, "Thanks, Lieutenant. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. So when it came time to adapt the story for the big screen, Paramount tapped Eric Roth to write the screenplay. So what kept a potential part two from ever hitting theaters? All rights reserved. Humphreys explained, "The tickets were going to cost a lot of money, so we decided to just watch it on TV like everyone else.". And so a body double was called on in the shape of Tom Hanks's brother, Jim. Osment did a screen test with Hanks and the chemistry between the two was apparent. The folks atIndustrial Light & Magic actually won an Oscar for their incredible work, from the floating feather to Lt. Dan's missing legs to crowds at the National Mall. Indie Wire reports that apart from the critical success and Best Actor Oscar he won for "Forrest Gump," Hanks would also go on to net an estimated profit of $65 million. Along with other movies featuring famous bench scenes such as "Good Will Hunting," "JFK," and "Finding Neverland," "Forrest Gump" takes the beauty of conversing with other people on a public bench to new levels. Roth even mentioned that in his script, Forrest would have been in the back of O.J. Both Hanks and Zemeckis were extremely active in the 1990s, and worked on several acclaimed projects that prevented them from returning to the idea of Gump & Co. The simplicity of their arcs is what makes their story so easy to latch onto. "My parents kept it around, and I still have this little piece of film history," he said. But for Jenny, this doesnt seem to be true. Dan!". Shes working at a dive bar as a stripper/singer. Nevertheless, the controversial comedian and actor was a shoo-in for the role of Bubba but declined because he felt it leaned too heavily on racial stereotypes (via Comedy Hype). Hanks explained, "Somewhere I have cassettes, hours and hours of me just making chit-chat with a very young Michael Conner Humphreys. ", In an interview with MTV News, when asked if he had any regrets about passing on films such as 'Forrest Gump" or "Chicago" Travolta simply replied that he was happy to give other actors such as Tom Hanks the chance to build their brand. Now time has obviously passed, but maybe some things should just be one thing and left as they are. As the actor explained, "I have to confess I don't see this a franchise. EXT. thatclosely. "Forrest Gump" is famous for his prowess at running. "Momma would have told him to go high when the waters rise. Post-Soviet Union, the overwhelming feeling in the United States was that of the end of history the century was coming to a close, foes had been vanquished, Americas culture was dominant on the world stage. Not a bad day at the office when you consider Paramount's total budget for the production was $55 million. The fact that Forrest Gump isnt outright offensiveat least, in this respectis a near miracle, and lots of credit should be given to Roth, who treats Gumps character with dignity and respect. Forrest Gump was one of the rare films that became both a box office sensation and an astounding critical success; in addition to becoming the highest-grossing film of 1994, it took home the Academy Award for Best Picture where it controversially beat other classics, such as The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction. The simplicity of their arcs is what makes their story so easy to latch onto. Evidently, Forrest Gump was going to be very involved in the saga of O.J. Forrest is awarded the medal of honor, but is heartbroken by the death of Bubbah. Plus, Groom's sequel doesn't exactly sound like a winning formula for a crowd-pleasing movie. Throughout the Forrest Gump plot, simple wisdom by the shrimp-boatload. Based on author Winston Groom's novel of the same name,Forrest Gumpwon six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and grossed $678 million worldwide. COUNTRY DOCTOR'S OFFICE - GREENBOW, ALABAMA - DAY, A little boy closes his eyes tightly. But this arc doesnt work as well as Gumps because Jenny starts out losing (she is born into poverty with a pedophilic father). The Twin Towers collapsed, almost 3,000 people died, and America started gearing up for war. Rex Provost is an award-winning writer/director based in New York. What would that movie look like? Stranger still, Forrest would somehow wind up in the back of Simpson's white Bronco as the football star leads the police on the slowest car chase in history. GREENBOW, ALABAMA Mrs. Gump and young Forrest walk across the street. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. When it came time for awards season, Gump cleaned house. The villain ain't the villain. During an interview on The Graham Norton Show, Hanks revealed that Gump's signature accent was inspired by the actor who played the young Gump in leg braces, Michael Conner Humphreys. . Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. The deadliest terrorist attack in America until 9/11, it killed 168 people, including 19 children. And he was sitting on the bench waiting for her to have lunch and all of a sudden the building behind him blows up. Forrest Gump fans remember that the first film ends in the beginning of the 1980s, where, in one of film history's most emotional moments, Forrest learns that Jenny (Robin Wright) is pregnant with his child, who she names Forrest Jr. (Haley Joel Osment). Roth had turned in a draft on September 10, 2001, but met up with Hanks and Zemeckis the next day to commiserate about how life was in America and how tragic it was. Roth noted that we looked at each other and said, this movie has no meaning anymore, in that sense.. While Forrest Gump might seem like a distinctly cinematic experience, the movie was actually based on a novel by Winston Groom (a book that's ratherdifferent from the film). . But more importantly, Hanks was worried Forrest Gump 2 would hurt the legacy of the original film. I had (Forrest) in the back of (O.J. At one point in the book, Forrest winds up working at a religious theme park run by infamous evangelist Jim Bakker. As Zemeckis explained to USA Today, he thinks Forrest would move to Pakistan and open "a children's orphanage in Jenny's name." Perhaps it's best a 'Forrest Gump' sequel never came to pass. Forrest Gump (1994) - full transcript Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low I.Q. In a heartfelt message to Sinise, Gen. Colin Powell said, "Thank you for all the things you have done for our men and women who have served our nation. In his memoir "Grateful American," Sinise wrote that his "Forrest Gump" character has inspired many veterans, and that Lt. Dan has become a symbol of awareness. Forrest Gump is filled with lines that have become so famous, at this point its clich to even say them ironically. Weve caught up to the Gump narrating on the bench. Hanks told Paramount, "We'll give you the money back, but you guys [Paramount] are going to have to share the profits a little bit more. Yeah, that all sounds super sweet, so you know it's about to end with some major heartbreak. is an essential part of "Forrest Gump." Reflecting on the time when Robert Zemeckis called for a last-minute change to the script, Osment explained that he and Hanks were summoned to the trailer and, "Tom wrote down my lines down on a piece of yellow legal paper. After Gump becomes a successful shrimp baron with Lt. Dan, Jenny returns. Many of the film's iconic buildings such as the boarding house where Forrest grew up and the farm where Jenny lived were made for the film and located in Yemassee and Beaufort, both real-life small towns. The Mandalorian: Where Is Grogu in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy? Mrs. Gump also has a line about destiny, though unlike Lt. Dans line, it doesnt seem to ring true in the context of the movie. Hes neutral. Shes choosing to ruin her life, over and over and over again? Speaking with Yahoo Entertainment, Roth explained that Forrest would actually have a new love interest in the sequel, a Native American woman he meets while riding a bus. Speaking with Yahoo Entertainment, Roth explained how on the day of the attacks, he met up with Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks who'd evidently changed his mind about never doing a sequel to "commiserate about how life was in America and how tragic it was." Screenwriter Eric Roth finished a draft for a script in 2001, which included scenes like Forrest finding . It's the same damn book," exclaimed Groom. Simpson's bronco and later dancing with Princess. The film was an absolute phenomenon . Talks of aForrest Gumpsequel ran out of steam after "all of 40 minutes," according to star Tom Hanks. Forrest Gump" taught us, with life and boxes of chocolates, "you never know what you're gonna get." The Alabama boy would become a champion ballroom dancer, and after waltzing his way across America, Forrest and his dance partner would tango their way to Europe. Beyond a love story between Gump and Jenny, Gump is a remember when? of the 20th century. This type of wait, this is that! scene is played again and again in the Forrest Gump script. And the big event in that, which you could see was diminished only in tragedy, I guess, because its the same tragedy, but every day hed go wait for his Native American partner. Once they crossed the Atlantic, Forrest would meet one of the most iconic figures in English history: Princess Diana. Other times, it's trying to break your heart in two, like when Mrs. Gump is on her deathbed. Simpson murder case was a huge event in the early 1990s, but does a vicious double homicide really need to be in a Tom Hanks comedy? Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Forrest Gump. The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Simplicity is a double-edged sword. ", Roth said the film would have begunwith the revelation thatForrest Junior(Haley Joel Osment) had AIDS, the same disease that killed his mother Jenny Curran, played by, (Forrest) meets on a bus a Native American woman and finds his callingas a bingo caller on a reservation. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Script PDF Download, What is a Complex Sentence Structure Examples and Tips. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Finally, the Forrest Gump script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the Robert Zemeckis movie with Tom Hanks. Why Didn't We Ever Get a 'Forrest Gump 2'? And then eventually, just as sort of a charity kind of thing, he danced with Princess Diana, he added. Although Roth began working on an outline for a sequel and completed a draft towards the end of 2001, the script was placed in development hell after a national tragedy forced the creative team to rethink their intentions. Gump & Co. picks up in the middle of the 1980s, where Forrest and Lieutenant Dan (Gary Senise) are unable to keep up with the demands of the shrimp market. During his adventures, Forrest encounters pop icons like Elvis Presley and U.S. presidents like John F. Kennedy. Like with its quotes, Forrest Gump characters are iconic: Bubba, Lieutenant Dan, Mrs. Gump, Forrest, Jenny. Of course, its impossible to be completely apolitical, and indeed Forrest Gump has a very particular view of the past. Forrest Gump's Run Took 3 Years, 2 Months, 14 Days, & 16 Hours. Groom then watched a documentary about savant syndrome and the germs of "Forrest Gump" were born. Sure, Paramount owns the rights to the novel, but Tom Hanks is too old to play a Forrest Gump traipsing through the '80s. And people wouldn't go to class with him in Florida." After deciding one morning to go for a run he ends up running for three years, two months, 14 days, and 16 hours until he has completed a back-busting amount of miles and covered all corners of the United States. As Forrest would say, were as firm as tinned hams.". Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques. 192; ; 20; ; 2vb; ; presentationletter; (gb3838-2022; Apart from the roles he made famous, millions of kids grew up associating Hanks' voice what the character of Woody from "Toy Story. No matter how dumb a white dude is they'll always find a black man that's dumber than him." If Forrest Gump 2 (or whatever it would be called) came to be, there would have been scenes where our title character was in the back of O.J. Yet as Roth points out, "When 911 occurred everything we wrote felt meaningless.". What is it about the films screenplay that engendered such massive and enduring success? After their meet cute, the two would fall in love, and Forrest would go on to work on a Native American reservation as a bingo caller. Maybe they could even join forces to put Forrest's story on the big screen, which would be the meta moment to end all meta moments and might tear a hole in the space-time continuum. Hanks has proudly stated that hes never signed a contract that requires him to reprise his role in a sequel, and that we did take a stab at talking about another Forrest Gump that lasted all of 40 minutes. While Cinema Blend reported in 2007 that Paramount Pictures had taken another look at the script, there hasnt been any further updates since. Because of his strong Mississippi accent, Humphreys tended to use a hard "g" in his pronunciation and had a tough time trying to sound like Hanks. So, unlike Gump, where his character and arc seem at odds, a conflict which is inherently interesting, Jennys lot in life plays directly into her arc. Humphreys would later turn his back on Hollywood and choose a career in the military instead. Jenny provides the other side of this coin. He explained, " (Forrest) meets on a bus a Native American woman and finds his calling as a. For nearly 20 years The Lt. Dan Bandhas toured military bases across the world, playing cover versions of classic songs and raising money for military veterans. Gump & Co. continues Forrests adventures into the 1980s, where he becomes involved in historical events such as Ronald Reagans presidency, the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and the Persian Gulf War. . "Forrest Gump" has an unmade sequel. RELATED: Forrest Gump Facts That Are Better Than a Box of Chocolates. Add a little exceptional acting ability in the shape of Tom Hanks and some directorial magic in the form of Robert Zemeckis and you've got an all-time Hollywood classic. So if the movie was so successful, why wasn't there a sequel? Simpsons Bronco during the infamous 1994 car chase, and that he would dance with Princess Diana at a charity ball. Hanks, who also starred in the Zemeckis-directed Cast Away and The Polar Express, reunites with the Gump filmmaker in Disney's live-action Pinocchio. As Lieutenant Dan, Sinise played Gump's platoon leader in the Vietnam War and later buddied up with his fellow veteran in the Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company. Its a sort of meta-wink, with Gump matter-of-factly describing what happened in an unassuming manner. "We had a funny sequence where they were (desegregation)busing in Florida at the same time, so people were angry about either the busingor (their)kids having to go to school with the kid who had AIDS. But Gumps disability makes him an underdog to root for, an unlikely success story. "Forrest Gump" was a critical and commercial success, and if it had been released today, it would probably mark the beginning of a lucrative franchise. The novel is darker and a lot more complex than the film, and a marijuana-smoking Gump adds astronaut and chess grandmaster to his portfolio of achievements. ", It waspreviously reportedthatForrest Gumpproducers Steve Tisch and Wendy Finerman had revived the sequel from development hell in the late 2000s, with Gary Sinise poised to reprise his role as Lieutenant Dan.