The Goonies Cast Reunion: How the Virtual Special Came Together Over Zoom

The Goonies: Reunited Apart, a virtual special reuniting the stars and creative minds of The Goonies ahead of the film's 35th anniversary, was put together by host and super-fan Josh Gad during his coronavirus quarantine. Organized to fundraise for The Center for Disaster Philanthropy's COVID-19 Response Fund and hosted on a Zoom call, the virtual special reunited actors Sean Astin (Mikey), Corey Feldman (Mouth), Jeff Cohen (Chunk), Ke Huy Quan (Data), Martha Plimpton (Stef), Kerri Green (Andy), Josh Brolin (Brand) and Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi (the Fratelli brothers), alongside "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" performer Cyndi Lauper, screenwriter Chris Columbus, executive producer Steven Spielberg and director Richard Donner.

"I've been doing a lot of revisiting of movies that were so important to me during my childhood. I've watched the pure joy on my children's faces as I've shown them those very movies that influenced my life," Gad told ET over video chat. "One night we were watching The Goonies, and it's always been a dream of mine to reunite that cast. I sort of just decided on a whim that I'm gonna do this, and I started reaching out individually, one by one."

Gad started with Cohen, receiving a yes from the actor turned entertainment attorney, before turning to Astin, who also wanted to participate. "One by one, they all said yes," Gad said. "From there, everybody just wanted to be a part of it, and it was remarkable. I don't think they realized just how much joy it would bring until they actually shot it. They too are seeing the result, it's tremendous.

The stars recited their iconic lines, traded quips, and celebrated Donner days after his 90th birthday. Gad also prompted Spielberg to explain why the creative team never made a sequel despite calls for The Goonies 2.

"I personally thought Steven would say no, just because he's so busy, and he absolutely was in, 100%," Gad said. "He could not be more excited, and it was really amazing to see, because, you know, nobody has influenced my childhood more than that particular man. To be able to hear and see him talking about one of my favorite movies of all time with this particular group of people was, like I say in the actual broadcast, one of the greatest days of my life."

The special raised over $23,00 for The Center for the Disaster Philanthropy, which was "the goal of this whole thing," Gad added. "If we can keep doing that, I promise to keep reuniting all your favorite casts."

Warner Bros. releases The Goonies on 4K Ultra HD later this year.