Forrest Gump film forgotten controversy: Great movie from the 90s, having made Tom Hanks the superstar we know, "Forrest Gump" is a film apart. On the occasion of its broadcast on W9 this Monday, January 20, return to a controversy involving the author of the novel and the Paramount studios, a controversy that may have prevented the development of a sequel ...

Forrest Gump, one of the most emblematic films of American cinema in the 90s is broadcast this Monday, January 20 on W9, and it will be an opportunity to delve deeply into the history of Forrest Gump, an incredible realistic tale to taste, obviously like a box of chocolates. The 1994 film can be told through all these dimensions: the classic but effective staging of Robert Zemeckis, the unforgettable performance of Tom Hanks (awarded his second Oscar for best actor for the occasion), its immense popularity in the world , finally all the anecdotes attached to it.

There is the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant chain, inspired by the film, there is the famous Savannah Square bench on which Forrest tells its story… But there are also the less glorious stories, which we prefer not to mention too much so as not to tarnish the scale of success.

Forrest Gump film forgotten controversy

"Hollywood Accounting" Controversy

The story of Forrest Gump, of this man who will participate in his own way in the great American events of the second half of the 20th century, is unique. And the film received the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1995, presented to screenwriter Eric Roth. Originally, there is the novel of the same name by Winston Groom, an American writer and historian, of which Paramount acquires the rights for $ 350,000 and signs with the author a profit-sharing incentive of around 3%. .

When the film was released, success was there, and it was even beyond expectations. Then come into play the creative but above all opaque methods of "Hollywood accounting" (Hollywood accounting in VF), a term which designates the particularities of a system which makes it possible to easily inflate expenditure to reduce taxes and profits linked in particular to rights of author. So, while the film will ultimately bring in $ 679 million at the world box office, Winston Groom will not touch anything of its 3% forecast ... Besides, it is not mentioned in any of the six speeches of the Oscar winners for the film. Discomfort. Especially since Hanks and Zemeckis each receive around 40 million dollars, being interested in gross profits ...

But the success of the film will still benefit the writer, whose novel Forrest Gump, written in 1986, will experience a second youth and become a world bestseller, reaching more than 1.4 million copies. sold. Also, a sequel is more or less under discussion, based on the sequel to the first novel, Gump & Company, published in 1995, which Paramount finally bought the rights for an unknown amount but at seven figures. Price "real" or "inflated" to complete the legal battle on the initial 3%? Difficult to sort out the facts from the legend. Especially since, a tragic movement in history, a first scenario was finally submitted on the eve of September 11, 2001 ... The project immediately fell into Hollywood limbo where the cursed projects vegetated.

An impossible continuation?

No more news until 2007, when it is announced that Paramount has again considered the project, but without making a decision. On this occasion, Winston Groom denied the rumor of bad atmosphere preventing the start of the project. Especially in an email sent to Cinemablend where he insisted.

In a vegetative state for more than twelve years, it seems today unlikely to one day see this project happen, to the great regret of those who have never lost hope of seeing Tom Hanks resume one of his greatest roles ...