Exclusive: Tom Hanks Attached To Big 2, Plot Revealed
Apparently, someone has forgotten what happens when you make wishes to coin-operated Zoltans. According to our trusted and proven sources, Tom Hanks is attached to Big 2, an upcoming sequel to the classic comedy from 1988. From what we understand of the plot, Hanks’ Josh Baskins will experience the exact opposite of the transformation he undergoes in Big.
Big 2‘s logline says that Josh Baskin finds himself magically transformed into a child once again, experiencing the wonders and challenges of a second chance at childhood.
The premise raises some interesting questions, considering it suggests that — just as David Moscow, who plays the young Josh in Big, disappears for most of that movie — Tom Hanks would be replaced by a younger actor for most of the sequel.
Of course, visual effects are capable of much more than they were in 1988, so it’s possible the Big 2 filmmakers would be looking to digital magic to change Tom Hanks into a 12-year-old boy. That would make the sequel a much bigger budget affair than its predecessor.
We’ve exclusively learned Tom Hanks is attached to Big 2, the sequel to 1988’s Big.
As for whether or not any of Tom Hanks’ Big co-stars would return for Big 2, the bad news is a number of the most important creators behind the original are no longer with us.
Big director Penny Marshall passed away in 2018, and Robert Loggia left us three years earlier. Perhaps the most well-remembered scene in Big features Hanks and Loggia sharing a duet on FAO Schwarz’s walking piano.
In Big, the young Josh Baskins — disappointed after proving too short to join a girl he likes on an amusement ride — makes a wish on an old Zoltar machine that he could be “big.” The next morning he wakes up in the body of an adult (Tom Hanks), and unintentionally terrifies his mother (Mercedes Ruehl).
Josh is able to convince his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton) of his identity, and the boy helps him find his way to New York City. There, Josh’s childlike enthusiasm and youthful insight impress a toy company owner (Loggia) who promotes Josh from clerk to high-level executive.
In the meantime, Tom Hanks’ character attracts the attention of Susan (Elizabeth Perkins). Initially, she hits on Josh in hopes of helping her own career, but ultimately she falls for him for real.
Making Big 2 Presents New Challenges
The relationship between Josh and Susan could point towards some potentially dangerous territory for Tom Hanks and the makers of Big 2. Speaking to Yahoo Entertainment last month, David Moscow — who plays the young Josh in the first film — said Big couldn’t be made today specifically because of the relationship between Josh and Susan.
“If they did make it, the press, before it even came out, would be ripping it to shreds. The religious fanatics would be out there talking about it. People would be demonstrating. I don’t think you could.”
-David Moscow on Big being released today
The Big 2 makers will no doubt want to keep that in mind if they consider the possibility of portraying any romance between Big 2‘s Josh and a genuinely young person.
Once we know more about Big 2, we’ll make sure you know.
