Why The Goonies 2 Never Happened

When it comes to beloved family adventure films, The Goonies still holds up some 40 years after it hit the scene, becoming one of the best children's movies ever made. The classic 1985 film directed by Richard Donner, which follows a group of kids on a treasure hunt to save their neighborhood from demolition, is as integral to some fans' childhoods as “ET: Extra Terrestrial” or “The Neverending Story” (ie, other films in which absolutely nothing emotional scars occur). It also helped make stars out of the likes of Corey Feldman, Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Ke Hui Kwan, and features a killer Cyndi Lauper song.

Like many other venerable '80s hits that audiences return to for a dose of nostalgia, The Goonies has yet to receive a proper sequel. At this point, it's safe to say that “The Goonies 2” could be a legacy in the form of a sequel, complete with a nod to the original film, the returning cast looking much older, and a new generation of characters to potentially carry the torch forward. . While this might seem like an idea that fans might warm to, they'd be better off tempering those expectations. In fact, The Goonies 2 has been stuck in will-they-or-won't-they for decades … and as far as the stars of Donner's film are concerned, The Goonies may never say “die,” but at this point, it might be time talk about a sequel.

Trying to figure out if “The Goonies 2” could actually happen is like trying to maneuver through several underground tunnels to find One-Eyed Willy's riches. Before his passing, Donner said in numerous interviews that there had indeed been attempts to return to Goon Docks for a new installment, but not every actor in it. “We tried really hard. (Executive producer) Steven (Spielberg) and I pointed out some things to them, and to be honest, they weren't right,” Donner said. IGN in 2006. “And we put it aside. If I could ever find a really good handle on the script for it, I'd do it again because talking about (something) I'd like to see. (… ) It's unusual, but it has to be right, or don't either because I can't believe that movie.

Until 2020. Steven Spielberg – who also wrote the story for The Goonies aside from serving as an executive producer on the film — there wasn't much to add. “('Goonies' screenwriter) Chris (Columbus), Dick and I (..) have had a lot of conversations about it,” the legendary director explained on the show. Reunited Apart by Josh Gad at that time. “Every couple of years we get an idea, but then it doesn't hold water.” Sadly, just a year later, Donner died, leaving behind an incredible body of work and a space for a sequel that few would dare fill. However, as one of the original Goonies rightly said, who would want to see that anyway?

Even after Donner's death, rumors of a sequel to “The Goonies” continued as late as 2024, and Martha Plimpton, who played Steph in the original film. Instagram to debunk a message from The sun that a sequel was in the works to begin filming in 2025. Bursting the bubble for fans worldwide, Plimpton simply wrote: “Folks, there is no script for 'Goonies 2', no one 'attached', Spielberg is not directing. This is not real.” It may not be the news fans wanted to hear, but in the eyes of senior Goonie Josh Brolin, it's probably a good thing.

When asked about the Goonies sequel in a March 2024 interview Yahoo!The “Dune” star, who played Astin's older brother in Donner's original film, had a blunt response. “Personally, why? You know what I mean? I don't like it,” he admitted. “Film exists in a really wonderful way, generation after generation I see it.” Even after all these years, Brolin cherishes the place “The Goonies” holds in the hearts of viewers and doesn't want to spoil it. “I think it's such a wonderful thing that exists, that you can see how to affect people, and why do you have to measure it against something else? Tell me, how would that be?” he added. And if you really want to answer that, technically all you have to do is fire up an old Nintendo entertainment system to find out.

While some fans are still hoping that we'll be dusting off our treasure maps and practicing the piano for a Goonies sequel in the near future, there's already a Goonies video game sequel called The Goonies II. : Fratelli's last game. Released in 1987 for the NES and developed by Konami, The Goonies II not only brought us together with Mikey and his friends, but was also one of the first exploratory platform games.

While it might be pretty dated these days, the game has a storyline that sees Mickey go it alone after the rest of the Goonies are kidnapped by the Fratelli after another prison break. As the game progresses, Mikey gradually saves the rest of the Goonies one by one, as well as a mermaid named Annie, who was also bagged by the Fratelli (because of course they did).

Suffice it to say that if there were ever to be a sequel to The Goonies, it would have to be dramatically different from The Goonies II. But between Donner's passing and even the cast of the original “Goonies” opposing the idea of ​​returning to the Goonies docks, the closest thing we might get to another “Goonies” movie would be a related project on Disney+ (one that, much like “The Goonies 2”, also hasn't completely moved yet).

In 2021, Disney+ acquired the rights to a new show about a group of kids who film remake of “The Goonies”. Titled “Our Time” (which references Mike's legendary speech about whether the Goonies should continue their adventure or give up their dreams of saving their home), the series would specifically focus on a school teacher who helps the trio after returning home. the kid remakes his favorite movie (The Goonies, of course). It's a project that would almost certainly grab the attention of “Goonies” fans…assuming it ever actually gets off the ground, that is.

Before Disney put on the oversized mouse-shaped mitts, Our Time was originally developed as a Fox pilot in 2020 before moving to Disney+ after Fox decided it was too young for its purposes. However, since then there has been little or nothing in the way of further updates to report. It's not too surprising at this stage, either, given Disney's track record when it comes to nostalgic originals for its streaming service. After all, the House of Mouse invested a lot of money creating the legacy Disney+ sequel series “Willow” to quickly cancel the show after one season and remove it from the streaming service entirely.

There's another, and perhaps more glaring, problem, which is that any attempt to directly continue the “Goonies” franchise would face stiff competition from the spiritual successors to Donner's film that have appeared in recent years.

There are plenty of movies and TV shows these days that have done a tremendous job of tapping into the spirit of childhood adventure that “The Goonies” embodied. Streaming series like “Stranger Things” and “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” similarly recall Mike and the gang tearing up the street on their bikes with their images of kids facing danger and heading to unknown destinations. It's not accidental either. Skeleton Crew creators/showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have admitted they even tried to get the cast of The Goonies to travel to a galaxy far, far away for their family-friendly tale of a group of young adults who leave their home for an adventure. in search.

“We had talked about it as a general casting idea, should we find some of the kids who were in these movies and now cast them as grown-up characters?” as Watt previously revealed Comic book. “But it wasn't enough to really go out. But no, there's definitely a chance there.” Of course, even if they did, this kind of signing had already been done in Hawkins with “Stranger Things,” when Astin joined the series as Bob Newby, the short and incredibly brave friend of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and a knight in a shiny yellow raincoat just like his newest character. . Thanks to these moments and homages, we've already gotten plenty of repeat visits to Goon Docks in one form or another, even without an actual “Goonies” sequel.