It’s been 30 years since one of Robert Zemeckis’ best films, the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump, was released, and its beyond-talented stars have respectively had fulfilling careers since its premiere. Imagine, though, if they had an additional cast member who was short, fuzzy and...Curious George-y. Zemeckis shared a fun tidbit recently that revealed he's the one who cut the beloved character loose before production began on the Tom Hanks classic.
The Back to the Future director reunited with Hanks and Robin Wright, who respectively played Forrest and Jenny, for the multi-generational movie Here as part of the 2024 movie schedule. The trio sat down with EW to look back on Gump, and it was most intriguing to hear about elements that went unseen.
Why Curious George Was Nearly Featured In Forrest Gump
Maybe the most surprising BTS details was shared by Zemeckis, and it involved an animated Curious George and other oddities being part of the adaptation when it was still in the initial script stages. He shared:
I remember that first draft that Eric Roth wrote on Gump, it was like 179 pages — Eric had all sorts of like angels flying up, and dreamscapes. Including Curious George! Curious George was a cartoon monkey on Forrest's shoulder talking to him.
Just thinking about all of what could have been for the big-hearted war vet makes my head spin a bit. I’m glad the 72-year-old had the foresight and sense to cut the lovable monkey from the script, I think it would’ve been too much for the film. But if he was specifically curious about shrimp, we all know who would have sated that wonderment.
Did Curious George Influence The Studio Hiring Robert Zemeckis?
Although Curious George didn’t get cast, as it were, the idea of the curious little guy in the movie may have been the element that bagged Zemeckis the film in the first place. He had won a handful of awards for his comedy caper less than a decade earlier that incorporated an animated rabbit alongside the very real Bob Hoskins. He recalled the initial call for Gump:
They said, 'Get that guy who did [Who Framed] Roger Rabbit. And I read the [Forrest Gump] script, and I said, 'I love this, but that monkey's gotta go.'
I’m sure there’s a mixed reaction to learning what could have been but I think The Death Becomes Her director is right. The stylings and tones of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump intertwine, especially not at the animated animal point. It would’ve been interesting to George tagging along after Forrest though, that’s for sure! On the flip side, just think about the uncanney valley that the monkey might have fallen into....
It is good to see the human actors all working together again, especially since there is no promise of a sequel to the 1994 classic. And rightfully so, there’s no need to add on to iconic film. Their new film Here is a much better solution to working together again. Zemeckis recently joined us, on an episode of ReelBlend to talk about the new movie as well as his impressive filmography.
I wonder what other stories the veteran director has up his sleeves about some of our favorite films of his? Who knows, but I’m sure none of them are as unique as letting Curious George go from a cast list.
If you’d like to watch and celebrate Forrest Gump’s 30th anniversary you can with a Paramount+ subscription.
