Television has been keeping viewers’ thirst for nostalgia satiated a lot lately, and get ready for another big dose of it. Almost 35 years after its release, The Goonies is kinda-sorta getting the TV show treatment, though it's probably not happening the way that you might think. In other words, there's likely no need to reach out to Sean Astin and the rest of the cast for cameos quite yet.
Fox has put in a pilot order for an ambitious new series inspired by The Goonies, but don't call it a remake.The storyline will follow Stella Cooper, who returns to her hometown to work as a substitute teacher after an unsuccessful reach for fame in New York. Three of her new students have dreams of making films, so she sets out to help them film a “shot-for-shot remake” of The Goonies, as one does.
The Bold Type’s Sarah Watson will write the pilot's script. Also geared up to take action behind-the-scenes is Superbad’s Greg Mottola, who will step behind the camera to direct and executive produce The Goonies-inspired pilot, according to THR. Gail Berman, Lauren Shuler Donner, Richard Donner, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank will also executive produce.
If this TV project takes place in a world where The Goonies is a movie, I could theoretically see the film's cast appearing as “themselves” as either fictionalized versions or as their real selves. Fans will have to wait to see who gets cast as Sheila Cooper and everyone else joining her in what becomes an inspirational town-wide tribute to cinema and storytelling. While it is perhaps not The Goonies follow-up that some fans might have expected, it is definitely something to keep the conversation around the movie alive.
As for The Goonies’ feature-length prospects, Sean Astin has said that he does not think a big-screen sequel to The Goonies will happen. A pitch for a second film was apparently written without ever getting produced. A TV adaptation or continuation of The Goonies would not have been out of the question, and it arguably still isn’t, though likely not with all the same characters.
The Mighty Ducks is getting a TV show, and so is Turner & Hooch, both thanks to Disney+. Those projects’ recent headway is a telling sign that the medium is not done bringing beloved movie classics from the '80s and '90s to the small screen. The Goonies is undoubtedly a loved enough property to warrant a TV continuation or adaptation of some sort.
As for the series that fans have to look forward to now, Fox’s Goonies-inspired project is a show about a teacher and their students realizing a big dream. It worked out for Fox with Glee! Maybe this show using The Goonies as a backdrop and touchstone could find similar success. It has only gotten a pilot order, so it does not have a series order yet. Here's hoping it's good enough to get one soon.
The formula also sounds as though it could be expanded for multiple seasons if it does end up getting picked up. Stella Cooper and her students could just pick another movie for Season 2. There are plenty of beloved films from the 1980s and 90s to keep a show like this going, assuming it goes beyond the pilot stage first.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend to hear more about The Goonies-esque series. While you wait to see if it makes it past the pilot, you can stay entertained with this winter and spring’s premieres.
