Millions of people will be waking up today to be confronted with news that will either delight or enrage them. Goonies, the classic slice of 1980s Americana and one of the most beloved films of the decade, may have a sequel on the way, according to director Richard Donner who told TMZ. But don’t go practicing your Truffle Shuffle just yet.
The news came as something of a surprise to a TMZ cameraman who happened upon Donner and asked him if he had considered working on another superhero film. Donner replied “If you call Goonies a comic book.” He went on to say with confidence, “We’re doing a sequel.”
Donner was then asked who from the original cast may return, to which he replied “Hopefully all of them.”
The original Goonies featured a group of youngsters that discovered a treasure map belonging to a long dead pirate. The group runs afoul of a family of criminals who also want the loot, and hijinks ensue. The film starred Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, and Corey Feldman among others. Donner directed the film from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, which was based on a story from Steven Spielberg.
Whether you see this as a good thing, a travesty, or you’re indifferent, treat it with a heavy grain of salt for the moment. Talk of a Goonies sequel has been circulating for years. This is also not the first time Donner himself has talked about a follow-up. In 2004, he claimed that he had a story he liked, and that Spielberg was behind him. The studio didn’t share Donner’s enthusiasm though, and the project never took off. Since then, various cast members have also stated that they thought a sequel was likely – Astin went as far as to tell IGN that a sequel was “100-percent certain.”
Before this semi-confirmation though, the last word on Goonies was that Donner was considering changing the format and making it a Broadway musical. With Hollywood’s love of all things sequel/reboot though, if ever there was a time for a Goonies 2, it would be now.
