The live-action remake of “Pinocchio” hit Disney+ today to a mixed-to-negative reception from critics. No surprise there, given the critical response to Tim Burton‘s dismal “Dumbo” and Jon Favreau‘s “The Lion King” in 2019. But it makes one think of more halcyon times when star Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis teamed up for 1994’s “Forrest Gump,” one of the seminal films of ’90s American cinema. That film won big at the box office, and at the Oscars, with Hanks winning Best Actor, Zemeckis Best Director, and “Gump” Best Picture on its way to six total Academy Awards. Not a bad haul for one film.
But after “Gump” won big on Oscar Night, and a sequel to the 1986 novel the film adapts came out in 1995, there was talk of a sequel. Not too much talk, though. Variety reports that on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast (via The Independent), Hanks and Zemeckis talked to producers about making a sequel to the hit film, but they died early. “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. “And then we never…we said, ‘Guys, come on.’” Neither Zemeckis nor Hanks was into the idea, and without their star actor and director, there was no point for Paramount to move ahead with the idea.
A close at both Hanks’ and Zemeckis’ career shows a paucity of sequels in their filmography. Zemeckis did all three “Back To The Future” movies, sure, and there’s Hanks’ voice-acting in the “Toy Story” franchise, but those are special cases. In the podcast interview, Hanks elaborated on his distaste for sequels as a rule. “A smart thing I did is I’ve never signed a contract that had a contractual obligation to a sequel,” Hanks continued. “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.'”
One could argue that the live-action remake of “Pinocchio” counts as a remake, or at least a business decision by Disney based on “pure commerce,” but let’s let Hanks have his say here. After all, after the poor performance of Tim Burton‘s “Dumbo” remake, Disney relegated “Pinocchio” to Disney+, where it will make barely any money, or at least significantly less than “Forrest Gump” or that other lucrative Hanks-Zemeckis team-up, 2000’s “Cast Away.” That film pulled in $400 million worldwide, while “Gump” earned $678 million. The pair also teamed up for the 2004 animated film “The Polar Express,” which, despite mixed reviews, reeled in over $300 million worldwide. “Pinnochio” isn’t going to do that.
“Pinocchio” is streaming on Disney+ now. As for Hanks, catch him next in Marc Forster‘s “A Man Called Otto,” out Christmas Day, with Wes Anderson‘s “Asteroid City” on the way next year.
