Okay, so you know how sometimes you get an idea stuck in your head and you just gotta see it through? That’s what happened with this “Forrest Gump 2” thing. Don’t get me wrong, the first movie is a classic, but I was just curious about how I’d approach a sequel, ya know?
First things first, I started brainstorming. I mean, where do you even begin with Forrest Gump’s life after, like, 1982? I jotted down a bunch of random ideas – the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the internet, 9/11, the Iraq War… all these huge historical events. I wanted to see if I could weave Forrest into them in a way that felt kinda believable, or at least funny.
Then I started to narrow things down. I figured, okay, Forrest is a simple guy, right? So he wouldn’t be directly involved in any political stuff. Instead, he’d be affected by it, or he’d stumble into it somehow. Like, maybe he accidentally invests in Apple really early on because he hears people talking about “computers” all the time. Or maybe he gets caught up in the dot-com bubble and loses all his money. Classic Forrest stuff.
Next, I outlined a basic plot. I didn’t want anything too complicated. Basically, Forrest would be dealing with his son, Little Forrest, growing up. Little Forrest would be facing his own challenges, and Forrest would be trying to help him in his own, unique way. Maybe Little Forrest is having trouble in school, or maybe he’s trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. You know, typical coming-of-age stuff, but with a Gump twist.
After that, I started writing some scenes. I focused on the dialogue first, trying to capture that same innocent, folksy tone that made the first movie so charming. It was tough, I ain’t gonna lie. It’s hard to imitate that kind of thing without it sounding corny. But I tried to keep it simple, focusing on Forrest’s perspective on the world.
I spent a couple of weeks just chipping away at it, writing a little bit each day. I didn’t have a full script or anything, just a bunch of scenes and ideas that I was playing around with. It was more of a thought experiment than anything else. I wasn’t trying to make a “real” sequel, just exploring the possibilities.
Now, did I actually finish “Forrest Gump 2”? Nah, not really. It’s more like a collection of random scenes and ideas. But it was a fun project to work on, and it got me thinking about the character in a new way. Plus, I learned a lot about screenwriting and storytelling in the process.
Would I ever try to make a real sequel? Probably not. The first movie is perfect as it is. But it was still a cool experience to try and imagine what Forrest Gump’s life might be like in the 21st century. Maybe one day I’ll dust off those old notes and tinker with them some more. Who knows?
So yeah, that’s my “Forrest Gump 2” story. It wasn’t a huge success or anything, but it was a fun little creative adventure. And sometimes, that’s all that matters.
