Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis, And Eric Roth Have A Forrest Gump Reunion With Graphic Novel Adaptation, Here

Almost three decades ago, Robert Zemeckis, Eric Roth, and Tom Hanks helped bring to life "Forrest Gump," which went on to win six Academy Awards and became one of the most beloved films in history. Now, the three are reuniting for the film adaptation of the graphic novel, "Here." Zemeckis is naturally set to direct the film from Roth's adapted screenplay and Tom Hanks will, of course, be the star. In the years since "Forrest Gump," Hanks has worked with both Zemeckis and Roth on separate projects, but "Here" will be "getting the band back together," as they say, after the sequel to "Forrest Gump" failed to come to fruition.

Written by Richard McGuire and first published in 2014, "Here" focuses on a single room and tells the stories of the multitude of people who inhabit the space over the course of many years, dipping well into the past and looking ahead toward the distant future. When we say "many years," we're talking well into the hundreds of thousands of years. It was described as "an orgy of the ordinary that is slyly clever and unexpectedly moving." The novel was first conceived as a six-page comic in 1989, with "Here" being the expanded version of the concept. The film will be produced by Playtone and ImageMovers. The story sounds exactly like the powerful and deeply emotional subject matter that each of these creators thrives in making, and will surely be one of the most highly-sought after films upon release.

There's been a big reassessment of "Forrest Gump" in the years since its debut, but the effect it's had on pop culture is undeniable. Just yesterday my wife pointed out that if you look very closely at the Roku app's "Roku City" screensaver, there's a tiny box of chocolates sitting on the park bench as the city passes by. Regardless of how anyone feels about the story, it's inarguable that the technology employed by Zemeckis and the rest of the "Forrest Gump" team completely changed the course of what kinds of stories were possible in cinema. The film chronicles 30 years of Forrest Gump's life, and it's a funny coincidence that the trio's reunion for "Here" will employ a similar practice as the story covers hundreds of thousands.

McGuire's graphic novel requires simultaneous visual reading, with one story moving forward on the page and others in the corners, traveling in reverse. The book is also devoid of a lot of dialogue, which means Roth has his work cut out for him. Then again, the man has earned plenty of accolades for his adaptation abilities. If anyone can pull this off, it'll be these three.