The possibility of a follow-up to 1985’s The Goonies has never been completely ruled out, despite the long gap since the original movie, and intermittent rumblings from director Richard Donner. Corey Feldman, who has repeatedly denied over the years that The Goonies 2 is off the table, reinforced his view this week in an interview with Dread Central, with the picture celebrating its 36th anniversary.
Feldman, who is presumably a bit sick of having to answer the same questions about The Goonies, confirmed that his co-stars are keen to revisit the story and their characters, but that he’s been disappointed on multiple occasions. Regardless of the several virtual comebacks for charity arranged during the pandemic, the performer can’t see this translating into an actual sequel, commenting as so:
“Well, Sean Astin and Josh Brolin want a sequel but you know. It’s one of those powers that be things. Every time I thought, ‘Okay it’s really gonna happen,’ I’ve been let down and had my heartbroken. I think I probably believed it the most over the pandemic. Because I thought ‘Okay, it’s [The Goonies] 25th anniversary, we did two reunions in one year, we went back and read the script together. And Chris Columbus himself even said on the call with all of us, and in subsequent emails, ‘Guys I’m so inspired, I’m actually writing again. Like I’m gonna do this. We’re doing this.’ And then, nothing.”
In addition, the 49-year-old actor noted that Donner is more involved in bringing back the Lethal Weapon franchise, and had this to say:
“I don’t know what the hell it is. But all I know is that when I found out my dear friend Richard Donner had signed on to do Lethal Weapon 5 as his swan song, well that pretty much sewed up the rumor mill right there. It’s done. We cant make [The Goonies 2] without [Donner]. And [Donner’s] off shooting guns with the Lethal Weapon people.”
The history of failed Goonies revivals is pretty extensive, and even seemed to be close to having a workable script a few times in the 2010s. Unfortunately, it appears that various obstacles then surfaced, from cast availability to other projects, and the difficulty of putting together a screenplay that producers can agree upon. Moreover, there have been occasional rumors involving animated adaptations and comic books, as well as a recent, cancelled pilot for a Fox series concerning a shot-by-shot remake of the movie by film students.
For now, then, it’s probably best to follow Feldman’s thinking and not raise hopes for The Goonies 2, despite the likes of Gremlins and Willow getting picked up for new television shows for streaming. However, that’s not to mean we won’t see Astin or others throwing out hints that things are back in development, as long as there’s IP that’s open to being revisited, and continued demand for ’80s nostalgia among fans.
