Richard Donner has been captured on video – albeit by the ethically questionable TMZ – stating categorically that The Goonies 2 is a go. The clip, which sees the director being questioned while signing autographs, shows him clearly saying of his 1985 classic film, “We’re doing a sequel.” When asked which of the original stars would return, he is heard to reply, “Hopefully all of them!”
The Goonies was one of those movies that surprised everybody and passed into Hollywood legend. Like Gremlins, The Lost Boys, or The ‘Burbs – it was a 1980s film that featured relatable characters dealing with situations that had a decidedly sinister edge to them. With a screenplay by Chris Columbus (Nine Months), based on a story by Steven Spielberg (who also executive produced), The Goonies was an adventure comedy about a group of teenagers living in the ‘Goon Docks’ area of Astoria, Oregon. In trying to save their homes from demolition, the group uncover a treasure map and embark on a journey to find the lost fortune of legendary pirate, One-Eyed Willie.
The original cast featured Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan, Josh Brolin, Martha Plimpton and Joe Pantoliano, among others. All have variously confirmed and denied their interest in a sequel in the intervening 29 years, but Richard Donner has been fairly consistent in his positive attitude toward a new Goonies chapter. A previous attempt at a sequel script allegedly had the offspring of the original characters heading off on new, undisclosed, adventures – although this never seemed to get off the ground.
Rumours of a musical adaptation began to circulate in 2007 – apparently with the support of Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg. As recently as 2011, Donner was still suggesting that it was a work in progress and moving forward. Now, however, it seems his attention is most assuredly on a real, honest-to-goodness The Goonies 2, and he intends to get the whole gang back together. Perhaps he will surprise us all by having them sing the script – at this point, anything could happen. All we know is that after almost thirty years – those kids were absolutely right. Goonies never say die.