In the 20 years since it hit theaters, “Forrest Gump” has eclipsed the book it was based off of. Thanks to the award-winning performance from Tom Hanks, Winston Groom’s 1986 novel has mostly been reduced to trivia because of how different the film version of the character ended up being.
There’s also the fact that the book Forrest got a sequel and the movie one didn’t.
It’s a pretty strange book that would have made for an even weirder movie, so as “Forrest Gump” heads back into theaters for an IMAX rerelease, here’s some things you might not know about “Gump & Co.”
1. Forrest goes broke.
Sadly, Bubba Gump Shrip Company goes through some hard times after Lt. Dan sells his portion of the company. Forrest resorts to working in a strip club… as a janitor.
2. And then becomes a player for the New Orleans Saints.
In true Forrest fashion, he meets an NFL player at the strip club, and before he knows it, he’s footballing professionally.
3. But Jenny’s ghost keeps appearing to him.
Forrest’s childhood friend doesn’t die in the books until the sequel, and afterward, she becomes a guardian angel of sorts for him and their son, appearing multiple times throughout the novel.
4. He also helps create the formula for New Coke.
This soft drink disaster falls in line with one of the recurring themes of the book. Whereas “Forrest Gump” tells the story of his many accidental successes, “Gump and Co.” is a series of humorous mistakes.
5. With the help of his son, Forrest creates a power plant fueled by pig poo.
I guess he should remember his own advice here.
6. He works with John Hinckley at a Christian-themed amusement park.
Forrest’s interaction with important historical figures took a darker turn when he met Ronald Reagan’s attempted assassin.
7. Then he crashes the Exxon Valdez.
Oops.
8. He fights in Operation Desert Storm with an orangutan named Sue, who he met while an astronaut.
One of the subplots excised from the “Forrest Gump” movie followed the character into outer space when he works for NASA. There he met his future sister-in-arms Sue, an orangutan.
9. A film adaptation would have put him in the back of O.J. Simpson’s Bronco.
Paramount bought the films rights for “Gump and Co.” for a reported seven figures, and even brought “Forrest Gump” screenwriter Eric Roth on to write it. In his first draft, Roth added more pop culture encounters, like a meeting with Princess Diana, Tom Hanks and the above encounter with famous not-guilty-person O.J. Simpson. Roth submitted the script on September 10, 2001. He later had a conversation with Hanks and Zemeckis, and the three agreed the story wasn’t “relevant anymore.”
Kevin P. Sullivan
Writer/editor for MTV. If it involves cowboys, spies, or hitmen, I’m there. All three would be ideal.
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