EXCLUSIVE: The sequel to Richard Donner’s ’80s classic The Goonies is “moving in the right direction”, according to its writer Potsy Ponciroli.
Speaking during a Deadline-moderated event at the Venice Film Festival, Ponciroli was asked about the status of the movie and said: “I have turned in a first draft, which was very well received, and I’m on a second draft and I’m about 95% done with that so we’re moving in the right direction.”
Ponciroli said he wasn’t immune to inevitable online misgivings about a sequel to such an adored classic, but said there are few bigger fans of the original than himself and that he would treat it with utmost care.
“I know there’s a lot of ‘do we need a new Goonies’,” he said, “but I’m the biggest fan of the original, it’s my favourite movie of all time. I’d never ‘redo’ The Goonies. To me it was a story that never ended so this is the movie I want to see as one of its biggest fans.”
He added he wasn’t sure when the movie would be moving into production. A director has yet to be revealed.
Ponciroli is in Venice with new Alan Ritchson action-thriller Motor City, having also been at the festival four years ago with feature debut Old Henry.
Warner Bros, the studio behind the original Goonies, is also behind the sequel. Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Holly Bario will produce for Amblin Entertainment alongside Chris Columbus, with Lauren Shuler Donner exec producing. Spielberg and Columbus penned the original.
Released 40 years ago, the original introduced the world to a group of misfit kids — Mikey, Mouth, Data, Chunk, and others — who embark on a treasure hunt to save their homes from foreclosure. The journey takes them through underground tunnels, booby traps, and encounters with the villainous Fratelli crime family, all leading to the discovery of the long-lost treasure of the pirate One-Eyed Willy.
A cornerstone of ’80s pop culture, the film launched the careers of young actors such as Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and Quan.
The idea of a Goonies sequel has been floating around for decades, but despite persistent rumors and interest from fans and some of the original cast, has not yet come to fruition. Ponciroli was revealed as writer by us at the start of the year and that was last we heard. Things seem to be heating up.