Was there a planned SEQUEL to Forrest Gump?

Tom Hanks previously revealed that discussions were had about a potential sequel to Forrest Gump - discussions that didn't last very long.

Forrest Gump tells the story of the life of a slow-witted yet kindhearted man who experiences such events as the Vietnam War, meetings with presidents, ping-pong championships and cross-country marathons.

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All the while he deals with his on-again, off-again relationship with the love of his line, Jenny.

Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, while Forrest Gump overall won six Oscars.

READ MORE: The 10 best Tom Hanks movies of all time

It is one of the most beloved movies of the 20th century and was a commercial and critical success.

Due to its success, conversations were had about a sequel that never materialised.

“I will say that, with a long time in between, we did take a stab at talking about another Forrest Gump that lasted all of 40 minutes,” Hanks said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast when asked about why he never stars in sequels.

“And then we never - we said, ‘Guys, come on.’”

Why does Tom Hanks not do sequels?

Hanks is known for never playing the same character twice - apart from Woody in Toy Story - and he laments the showbusiness trend of having to make sequels to movies just because the first was successful.

“A smart thing I did is I’ve never signed a contract that had a contractual obligation to a sequel,” the Oscar-winner explained.

“I’ve always said, ‘Guys, if there’s a reason to do it, let’s do it. But you guys can’t force me.’

“There is that natural inclination that is one of pure commerce that says, ‘Hey, you just had a hit, so do it again and you’ll have a hit.”