Tom Hanks' $355M Forrest Gump Follow-Up Surprisingly Paid Off A Lt. Dan Line (2024)

After Forrest Gump, Tom Hank’s next movie in his filmography surprisingly paid off a line by Gary Sinise’s Lieutenant Dan. Forrest Gump is one of the most famous movies of all time due to its highly quotable nature and the clever way that Tom Hank’s Forrest Gump met real life historical figures. The iconic movie has a 95% Popcornmeter and is certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, despite being released 30 years ago, with Google even having a Forrest Gump Easter egg on the search page – a feature designed to celebrate prominent popular culture, like a Minecraft mini-game for searching “minecraft.”

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Forrest Gump followed the life of its titular character and his experiences in 20th century United States. The comedy-drama touches on numerous different events in history, although many question Forrest Gump’s historical accuracy, as Forrest finds himself inspiring Elvis Presley, fighting in the Vietnam War, and meeting President John F. Kennedy. Forrest Gump’s clever commentary on America through the eyes of a simple Alabaman man enabled its success, with supporting characters, such as Lieutenant Dan, providing thoughtful insights into Hanks’ character. Interestingly, however, one line by Lieutenant Dan leads to a surprising connection to Tom Hanks’ follow-up movie, Apollo 13.

How Apollo 13 Paid Off A Lt. Dan Line From Forrest Gump

Gary Sinise Foreshadowed His Own Role

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Apollo 13 paid off a Lieutenant Dan line from Forrest Gump because it foreshadowed Tom Hanks and Gary Sinise’s future roles. In 1994’s Forrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan expresses disbelief about Forrest’s career aspirations, saying “If you're ever a shrimp boat captain, that's the day I'm an astronaut.” Gary Sinise’s Lieutenant Dan has had a surprising impact following Forrest Gump, with veterans praising his portrayal, but nobody thought Sinise’s line had any deeper meaning to it until after Apollo 13 was released a year later, revealing that Gary Sinise would be an astronaut after all, making Lieutenant Dan’s proclamation much funnier.

Tom Hanks & Gary Sinise Movies

Best Picture Oscar

Forrest Gump (1994)

Won

Apollo 13 (1995)

Nominated

The Green Mile (1999)

Nominated

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Released in 1995, Apollo 13 was a survival movie based on the thrilling true story about a group of astronauts who took part in a near-fatal NASA mission in 1970. The docudrama movie received critical acclaim, earning $355 million at the box office, and was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Gary Sinise and Tom Hanks featured in Apollo 13 as key members of the crew, although Sinise’s character, Ken Mattingly, was grounded shortly before the mission. However, to make matters weirder, Forrest Gump’s book delves further into this astronaut connection.

Forrest Gump Being Book Accurate Would've Made Apollo 13 Weirder

Forrest Gump Also Went To Space

Tom Hanks' $355M Forrest Gump Follow-Up Surprisingly Paid Off A Lt. Dan Line (1)

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While there are a lot of differences between Winston Groom’s original book and Forrest Gump, one particular book detail would have made Apollo 13 even weirder. In the movie, Lieutenant Dan makes good on his promise and joins Forrest as his first mate in the shrimping business. However, in Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan has nothing to do with Forrest’s shrimping business. The book also portrays Forrest Gump as more foul-mouthed and aggressive than Tom Hanks’ passive character, despite retaining his childlike personality, and there are numerous other differences, like Forrest meeting Bubba in college instead of the Army.

Related

Forrest Gump Ending Explained

Forrest Gump is a fictional larger-than-life story of the "slow-witted" Forrest Gump and the way he touches the lives of everyone around him.

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However, Forrest Gump’s trip to space in Winston Groom’s book would have made Apollo 13 even weirder. In the Forrest Gump book, Forrest Gump becomes an astronaut and goes to space with an orangutan named Sue. This strange plotline was completely missed in the 1994 movie adaptation, most likely due to reasons related to film length and for being a bit too ridiculous for the movie. If the movie was book accurate though, Tom Hanks would have had two astronaut roles consecutively in his filmography, making his appearance in Apollo 13, one year after Forrest Gump premiered, even weirder.

Tom Hanks' $355M Forrest Gump Follow-Up Surprisingly Paid Off A Lt. Dan Line (3)

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8.4/10

Forrest Gump

PG-13

In this iconic piece of American film history, the presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the events of the Vietnam war, Watergate, and other history unfold through the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75.

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Director
Robert Zemeckis

Release Date
July 6, 1994

Studio(s)
Paramount Pictures
Cast
Mykelti Williamson , Gary Sinise , Tom Hanks , Robin Wright , Sally Field

Runtime
142 minutes
Main Genre
Drama

Distributor(s)
Paramount Pictures

Writers
Winston Groom , Eric Roth
Tom Hanks' $355M Forrest Gump Follow-Up Surprisingly Paid Off A Lt. Dan Line (2024)
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