When recalling their favorite films, children of the 80’s will almost certainly mention The Goonies. Like many success stories, Goonies didn’t not make a big splash at the box office, or with the critics, but the film went on to achieve fame in the following years, as the children and teens who liked it grew up. Today, it is remembered as one of the classics of our time.
The film is mostly a childhood fantasy story. A land developer tries to kick a bunch of families out of their homes, called the “Goon Docks” district. The children, and three teenagers, band together, attempting to find the lost treasure of a pirate lord. A family of criminals follows them every step of the way. In the end, the treasure is found, the criminals caught, and the Goon Docks saved.
Although children and teenagers seemed to love the film, critics gave it mixed reviews at best. Subsequent airings on television and home video releases propelled the film to popularity by the end of the decade. The film’s notable features include the director, Richard Donner and production assistance by Steven Spielberg. This was also the first time audiences met Sean Astin, who would go on to fame in Lord of Rings as Samwise Gamgee. The film also featured Ke Huy Quan, now known as Jonathan Ke Quan, from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
A sequel was in high demand from fans over the years, and surprisingly, the interest from fans remains. Talks continued as late as 2004. Director Richard Donner claimed to have a workable story, and Steven Spielberg got on board, but many of the original actors expressed no interest in returning. Thus, the 2004 project dropped.
In spite of this, sales of the DVD’s remain incredible. Film star Sean Astin told MTV in October of 2007 that a sequel was a definite reality. It would only make sense following such strong sales and continued approval. But no production talks materialized. Donner doubted that a sequel would ever happen due to the cast’s reluctance, despite Sean’s enthusiasm. Corey Feldman wrote in his blog on November 25, just this past year, that Goonies 2 would never happen, but quickly quipped, “Course now that I’ve said that they’ll do it.”
So is a sequel possible? Well, yes. But likely? No. Unfortunately, with so much time having passed since 1985 and the release of the classic film, in best case scenario, the sequel would have to reunite the Goonies years later for another quest, or have them serve as guides to a younger set of Goonies, their children perhaps. The concept would work, but the film may seem significantly less magical. Perhaps that’s why the cast shows such reluctance.
But some production talks do continue, although not for a sequel. In March 2007, Entertainment Weekly reported talks of a musical adaptation of the classic film. Richard Donner was quoted as saying that Spielberg approved, and it was something that excited them both. Another report from Variety in October 2008 mentioned that production was moving in the right direction.
While a sequel faces an uphill battle, fans will have to settle for Goonies on Broadway. Another film may come along in the future, supposing the original cast changes their minds. For now, we’l have to settle for the classic adventure on stage, with music. Can anyone imagine Chunk singing? Well, it likely will happen.
