Steven Spielberg Explains Why We Never Got A Sequel To The Goonies

One of the most beloved movies of the 1980s, The Goonies has long been the subject of sequel debates. It appears that we had a pitch for The Goonies 2 that never made it past the discussion stage, and that some of the original film’s cast are pretty sure we’d never get a sequel (even if Sean Astin has a great idea for one). Steven Spielberg, who executive produced and co-wrote The Goonies, has now given his take on why a sequel to the film won’t happen, though.

Spielberg answered questions about a potential follow-up as part of a recent COVID-19 virtual reunion with the original cast and crew. Speaking as part of a video chat, he had this to say about a sequel:

“Chris and Dick and I and Lauren [Shuler Donner] have had a lot of conversations about it, and every couple of years we come up with an idea, but then it doesn’t hold water. The problem is the bar that all of you raised on this genre. I don’t think we’ve really successfully been able to find an idea that is better than The Goonies we made in the ‘80s.”

While some fans might point out that this hasn’t stopped Spielberg from resurrecting other 80’s franchises like Indiana Jones, it’s arguably relieving that the producers didn’t want to tarnish The Goonies with a substandard sequel. Several years ago, Astin and Corey Feldman were at least able to present their ideas to original Goonies director Richard Donner, only for it to be rejected as too expensive to produce. Apparently, Donner wanted a smaller-scale picture following the characters from the first movie.

What appears to be more likely, though, is a reboot of The Goonies, something that’s apparently been on the cards for a long time in various forms. Indeed, our sources recently told us that Josh Boone of The New Mutants is in consideration to direct a remake, and while things are at a typically early stage in development, it seems that talk of doing something with The Goonies isn’t going away. Fans wanting to relive the original 1985 movie though can at least enjoy a new 4K UHD remaster on Blu-ray, which will be out later this summer.