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'The Goonies' is great, which is exactly why there shouldn’t be a sequel
Goonies never say die, but they don't need another movie.
We’re in an era of reboots, remakes, and sequels, so it’s not surprising to hear that there have been rumblings over the years of having a sequel to 1985’s The Goonies, a story about a group of misfit kids who find themselves in a quest for buried pirate treasure to save their homes.
The movie, which stemmed from a story idea by Steven Spielberg and boasts a script by Chris Columbus, has become a classic film about the trials of childhood. Through Richard Donner’s direction, we follow the kids through their unbelievable adventure full of dangerous trials, long-dead pirates, and very much alive criminals and corporate redevelopers.
There have been several pitches for a Goonies sequel over the years. Sean Austin and Corey Feldman, who played two of the kids in the original film, reportedly pitched an idea to Donner at one point, though the director as well as a rep for Columbus and Spielberg said it would be too expensive to make.
Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs) has also been working on a Goonies script for at least a decade (he even has some concept art!), and said in 2020 that he really, really wanted it to happen even though Donner was lukewarm about the idea when he first pitched it way back in 2005.
With Donner’s unfortunate passing in 2021, however, the probability of a sequel happening — at least with the original cast and crew — became even less likely. And while Goldberg’s enthusiasm for making another one is more than understandable, we don’t need another Goonies movie. We might, in fact, be better off if no sequel or even a reboot ever comes to pass. Here are some reasons why.
The Goonies is all about being a kid in the ‘80s
The Goonies is a quintessential film about adolescence and adventures. A large part of why it works is because these kids undertake a quest that seems ripped out of a storybook about tales from long ago but face the dangers of their pirate-related trials in the world circa 1985. While it might seem fun to see those kids all grown up, do we really want to see Corey Feldman play whoever the adult version of Mouth came to be? And even if a new movie centered on a new set of kids, part of what made The Goonies, well, The Goonies was the time period in which it was set. The movie is an embodiment of the ‘80s and what it was like to be a child during that time, and any remake or sequel would lose that part of it.
The Goonies is hard to imagine without Richard Donner
Many of the cast and crew have said that it’s hard to imagine another Goonies film without Donner being involved. And with his passing last year at the age of 91, the opportunity of him helming another movie is now an impossibility. Much of the original cast and crew have seemed reluctant to revisit Goonies without Donner, and with him now gone, the likelihood of another installment in the Goonies universe becomes less likely.
The original Goonies is still worth a watch right now
While some things in 1985’s The Goonies haven’t aged well, the majority of the film holds up as being a delightful yarn about the adventures a group of kids finds in their own backyards. If there were to be another Goonies-related film, the idea of Sarah Watson’s about a new gang of children trying to do a reenactment of the movie, seems the best way to go. That project creates something truly new but pays proper homage to the old.
Forget how good The Goonies is or itching to see it once again? The good news is that you can rewatch the original film to your heart’s content.
The Goonies is streaming on Peacock.
