When Director Richard Donner announced that The Goonies 2 was actually happening, fans fittingly got their collective hopes up, especially when he said the entire original cast would make a return as well.
Fast forward to 2016, and there is still no script for the project. While most of the cast is still up for working on the film, it seems the project could fold before it ever gets out of the gate. In a recent interview with Movieweb, Mouth actor Corey Feldman explained why.
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“Richard Donner is 87 years old. And it’s like, no one really wants to make it without him. He’s the driving force behind it. He says it’s still alive. But as we all know…When you get to that age, things slow down quite a bit. There is a big possibility that he might not want to keep driving it. So, I think without him, it doesn’t happen. And every day that passes, that he doesn’t do it, there is less and less chance that it is ever going to happen at all.”
Feldman also addressed a possible backlash against the film if it’s not done just right, which we’ve seen time and time again when it comes to fan-favorite films. The fears aren’t unwarranted.
“It could have a very bad backlash! At the end of the day, and I have said this before, the only way a Goonies sequel happens, and is forgivable to the fan base…Is if it is done right. And what does that look like? Obviously I don’t know. Because I’m not Steven Spielberg, I’m not Richard Donner, I’m not Chris Columbus. Those are the guys that make this decision. I know that they are all geniuses. And I implore nothing but the highest levels of respect and trust for their process and what they do. If, at the time, they want my opinion, I will certainly be happy to give it to them.”
At one point in the process, Feldman and fellow Goonies actor Sean Astin actually penned a treatment for the film and passed it on to Donner. They received some positive feedback on their vision, but ultimately it didn’t meet the financial requirements the studio had for the film.
“As I’m sure you read, Sean and I actually did create a treatment which we brought into Richard Donner, which he actually liked quite a bit. But, unfortunately, he felt it was too expensive for what they have in mind. So, that said, I’m not a mind reader. I don’t know what that special magic recipe is that they are looking for. But I know that everyone’s fear is, ‘What are the odds of capturing magic in a bottle twice?’ And it’s a long shot. At the end of the day, I think if everyone was going to get involved and do it, it would have to be something that was just so magical, so awe-inspiring and breathtaking, that every person said, ‘This is a home run, this is it, we’ve got it, this is the one.’ I know if that script comes in, we’ll be getting that call.”
Hollywood is a quirky beast. The minute something seems like it’s never going to happen is typically when it does, and vice versa. For Goonies fans, I imagine the hope is for the former.
