Goonies never say die… but do they come back? The Goonies turns 40 years old next year, and for what feels like the millionth time, chatter about a sequel for The Goonies has started up. It’s easy to see why it could happen — so many beloved movies and franchises have come back with a huge dose of nostalgia at the box office — but is The Goonies sequel really going to happen?
Much like locating One-Eyed Willy’s treasure… we’re not entirely sure. The Sun reported that The Goonies sequel has a green light and that original cast members are “likely” to sign on. But the film sequel has yet to be reported by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, or any other major Hollywood information source.
According to The Sun’s source, however, development is beginning with plans to get everything in place for next summer so the film can release in 2026 or 2027. (That alone makes me wonder how factual this info is, feels like we’re already leaving a lot of room for it not to happen.) Basically, there are just a whole lot of people “getting excited” right now and making plans for The Goonies sequel to happen without any hard evidence or information available.
And if we’re operating on that info alone, then sure, I’m excited, too.
In fact, back in April, Corey Feldman — who starred as Mouth in The Goonies — tweeted, “4 ALL THOSE PPL CONSTANTLY ASKING IF THERE WILL EVER B A SEQUEL 2 THE BELOVED FAMILY FILM #THEGOONIES HERES AS DEFINITIVE OF AN ANSWER AS U CAN POSSIBLY GET……@ THIS TIME ANYWAYS…..” and linked to a Hollywood Outbreak article with the headline “Will A ‘Goonies’ Sequel Ever Happen? Corey Feldman & Sean Astin Tried.” In that piece, it’s reported that Feldman and Sean Astin, who starred as Mikey Walsh in the 1985 film, have been advocates for a sequel for years, going so far as to speak with Richard Donner, who directed the original film, with ideas. (Donner died in 2021.)
Feldman shared at a fan event that he and Astin actually pitched a 10-page story idea for a sequel to Donner, who seemed to love it, and then said the idea was “too expensive.” But according to Feldman’s April 2024 tweet, that’s as far as the sequel has ever gone.
Movies starring kids, especially blockbusters, haven’t been as popular as they were in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but it feels like they’re really starting to come back — and I give a ton of credit to Stranger Things on Netflix. That show blended nostalgia, the ‘80s, adventure, and spookiness so well that it makes sense that Hollywood started paying attention by relaunching Ghostbusters with a young crew and even the Beetlejuice sequel with superstar Jenna Ortega.
If there is to be a sequel to The Goonies, chances are the production would want Astin, Feldman, Ke Huy Quan, and Jeff Cohen to come back as the four core best friends of the movie, along with Josh Brolin. All have had other things happen since The Goonies, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be ready to reprise their 40-year-old roles.
Will they all come together as adults with kids who are also best friends now? Is there more to discover 40 years after One-Eyed Willy’s treasure? Is there a new group of bad guys out on the prowl?
The rumors about The Goonies 2 are definitely true on one factor — they could really go anywhere with a sequel. But if they’re trying to follow the formula that’s been working for Hollywood with reboots and nostalgia, they pretty much just need to follow the original storyline almost exactly and mix in some fan-favorite characters with a couple of great newbies. And as long as Steven Spielberg helps write this story, too, it’s bound to be perfect.
