Its been a long, nearly thirty year wait for fans of 1985’s The Goonies, but now it seems a sequel is in the works with director Richard Donner, and what’s more, he wants to reunited the original cast. Donner made the announcement in a rather unspectacular fashion whilst he was filmed by gossip site TMZ signing autographs. Donner was asked if he ever planned to do another comic book movie and he replied, "if you call Goonies a comic book. We’re doing a sequel.” Then, when asked if any of the stars from the 1985 movie were going to return he said "hopefully all of them".

Richard Donner
Goonies director Richard Donner confirmed a sequel to TMZ

Rumors of a Goonies sequel have been floating around for the best part of a decade. Back in 2004 the rumors started but it then seemed Warner Brothers studio just wasn’t interested in giving The Goonies another outing. Next the rumors resurfaced in 2009, but this time things seemed a lot more likely, with talk of Richard Donner being on board. Once again though nothing happened and Goonies fans became used to constant talk of sequels and remakes, with original cast members divided on whether or not the gang would ever hit the big screen again. Sean Astin always seemed positive, but Corey Feldman was less than certain, at one point saying, "NO! There is no Goonies 2! I'm sorry but it's just not gonna happen,” though he did also add, “...course now that I've said that, they'll do it." Director Richard Donner seemed to be the most in favor of a sequel saying it was a “definite thing” back in 2010.

Now that the “definite” thing seems to actually be happening the question is, just how much of the original cast and crew will return? Richard Donner is of course a definite, but now it’s also being reported that Chris Columbus the original writer and producer Steven Spielberg are also on board. As for the cast, well it seems as though Donner is keen to get the original actors back, but there’s no word as of yet if this will happen or what capacity their roles would be.

Sean Astin achieved adult sucess with the Lord of the Rings franchiseSean Astin achieved adult sucess with the Lord of the Rings franchise

Sean Astin (Mikey Walsh), of course went on to achieve adult stardom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Sam. He tweeted yesterday, "Huh? What? #Goonies 2 We Never Say Die!", which is by no means an official confirmation of his involvement, but at least he’s acknowledging the reports. His onscreen older brother Josh Brolin, graduated onto bigger movie adventures playing the young Agent K in Men in Black 3 and finding critical acclaim in No Country for Old Men and Milk. Cory Feldman has had a much more difficult transition into an adult acting career and beyond the tabloids he's still best remembered for his Goonies and Lost Boys heyday. Feldman has been the most vocal on twitter about the sequel so far saying he thinks it needs, ‘a perfect script’, but he believes the team are working hard to make that possible. As for the other main cast members, Jonathan Ke Quan, only made three more films after The Goonies and hasn't appeared on screen since 2002, whilst Chunk aka Jeff Cohen is now a successful lawyer, making his involvement perhaps the most unlikely. 

Original Goonies star Corey FeldmanOriginal Goonies star Corey Feldman

The Goonies, thirty years on, is bound to look a lot different than how original audiences will remember it, but perhaps there in lies the appeal. Revisiting the characters now in adulthood might be the perfect way to continue the franchise with the right amount of nostalgia and intrigue for the original audience, whilst offering something to new fans. If DVD sales and internet talk is anything to go by, The Goonies 2 has a ready and waiting audience who have been holding their breathe for a long time. After all we seem to be in an age of remakes, reboots and sequels so why not give The Goonies a second outing? If its anything like the first time around, we’re certainly in for a fun and memorable adventure.

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