Forrest Gump Initially Featured Curious George

Forrest Gump may have appeared quite a bit totally different.

Talking to Leisure Weekly in a video revealed Nov. 13, Forrest Gump director Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright opened up concerning the creation of the film. “I do not forget that first draft that Eric Roth wrote on Gump, it was like 179 pages — Eric had all types of like angels flying up, and dreamscapes,” Hanks, 68, stated. 

Zemeckis, 72, added, “Together with Curious George! Curious George was a cartoon monkey on Forrest’s shoulder speaking to him.” Curious George was created by H.A. and Margret Rey in 1940, and the mischievous monkey starred in a sequence of youngsters’s books earlier than making his solution to tv and the large display screen. Will Ferrell starred alongside the well-known primate in a 2006 animated movie.

Wright, 58, requested if Curious George was minimize due to rights points, however Zemeckis and Hanks remembered that the character truly does seem a number of instances within the film. Forrest’s favourite e book is Curious George, and he reads it to his son as an grownup. There’s additionally a Curious George toy in just a few scenes.

Zemeckis remembered how he bought known as in to direct Forrest Gump — and assumed it was partially as a result of he was used to mixing animation and actual individuals. “They stated, ‘Get that man who did [Who Framed] Roger Rabbit,’ ” he stated. “And I learn the [Forrest Gump] script, and I stated, ‘I like this, however that monkey’s gotta go.’ ”

Forrest Gump, which additionally starred Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and Sally Subject, finally grew to become a hit, grossing greater than $670 million on the field workplace and receiving 13 Oscar nominations. The film gained six of these awards, together with Greatest Image, Greatest Actor for Hanks and Greatest Director for Zemeckis.

The director additionally reunited with Hanks and Wright this 12 months for his or her new film Right here. Hanks opened as much as PEOPLE in October about what it meant to be again collectively. “All people was [saying], ‘Oh, what was it like, the reunion?’ ” Hanks stated. “You already know what it was? It was like, ‘Hey, the way you doing?’ ”  

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“We simply picked up proper the place we left off,” the That Factor You Do director continued. “I will say we love one another as a result of we’re really easy with one another. It was a luxurious to have the ability to are available in and get the identical conversations we have been having for the final 30 years after a second of, ‘Hey, this kooky look, do you imagine this? Are you able to imagine this? Take a look at this, have a look at this.’ ”

Hanks additionally labored with Zemeckis on 2004’s The Polar Categorical and 2022’s Pinocchio, whereas Wright appeared in his 2007 movie Beowulf.