It’s been 29 years since ‘Forrest Gump’ came running at the box office and the movie-going audience. Tom Hanks as Gump is a wholesome personality with great luck who witnessed some of the most significant historical moments. His journey was of no exploration but a relentless search to find Jenny, the love of his life.

As years passed, the perception of the film has been altered. But it remains one of the most loved movies with an excellent Tom Hanks performance. Naturally, with a film this successful, the studio always wants to make a sequel. There was a discussion about making ‘Forest Gump 2,’ but a tragedy called it off.

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‘Forrest Gump’ Sequel Was Cancelled Due To 9/11 Tragedy

Forest Gump was based on a novel by Winston Groom. He came out with a sequel, ‘Gump & Co.,’ following Forest Gump’s life after the first book’s events. The sequel finds Forrest’s shrimp business going under. As a result, he has to turn to selling encyclopedias on the street while raising his son.

Screenwriter Eric Roth returned to write the sequel. His draft included scenes where ‘Forrest Gump‘ would run into O.J. Simpson and Princess Diana. Unfortunately, he submitted his draft a day before the tragedy of 9/11. It was then decided the sequel now would feel disrespectful.

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Tom Hanks’ Failed Conversation About The Sequel

On the ‘Happy Sad Confused’ podcast with Josh Horowitz, Tom Hanks talked up the ‘Forest Gump’ sequel, never having a chance. He talked to the director Robert Zemeckis for around 40 minutes. Unfortunately, they couldn’t agree on a common creative ground. Tom Hanks didn’t want the sequel to be another crash grad opportunity for the studio.

Tom Hanks told Horowitz, “I will say that, with a long time in between, we did take a stab at talking about another Forrest Gump that lasted all of 40 minutes. And then we never…we said, ‘Guys, come on.’ A smart thing I did is I’ve never signed a contract that had a contractual obligation to a sequel. I’ve always said, ‘Guys, if there’s a reason to do it, let’s do it. But you guys can’t force me.’ There is that natural inclination that is one of pure commerce that says, ‘Hey, you just had a hit, so do it again and you’ll have a hit.’”

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