It's hard to imagine that someone has even been hired to write a sequel to The Goonies, let alone that a follow-up to the 40 adventure film is actually happening at all. Somehow, though, screenwriter Potsy Ponciroli is the brave soul going further than Chester Copperpot or even The Goonies themselves have gone before, finding a brand new treasure hunt to send them on, which, according to him, is coming along swimmingly.
While speaking to Deadline at the Venice Film Festival, Ponciroli confirmed just how far along in the writing process he is, and it should get fans of bully blinders and slick shoes excited. “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.”
Any direction is better than where the long-gestating project has been up until now. Talks of a sequel have been circulating for years, with the late legendary director, Richard Donner, mentioning on repeated occasions that he and producer Steven Spielberg had developed ideas for a new chapter, only for it never to come to fruition. Even a debate had arisen between original cast members of the film's chances, with some assuring fans that a return to the Goon Docks wasn't going to happen, while others were primed and ready to get back into the hijinks they first found themselves in back in 1984.
Now that the film is finally getting the green light, it will understandably raise questions that often accompany a new movie tasked with carrying on the legacy of such an iconic entry. “I know there’s a lot of ‘do we need a new Goonies’,” explained Ponciroli, “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.”
Currently, there are no confirmed plot details, nor any clarification on whether any of the original stars will return to head off on another adventure, most likely with their own children. For now, we'll just have to wait to see how things develop, or at least until the rock, the lighthouse, and an abandoned old restaurant all fit in a doubloon. Should you wish to go on an adventure of your own, check out our list of the best family movies here.
