After initially tapping the original writer of the ’80s classic to return to the fold,The Goonies 2has found a different writer to pen the script. Development on a follow-up to the adventure comedy has languished ever since the original hit theaters in 1985, with the cast and crew all offering conflicting statements about its progress, while the acting retirements of Ke Huy Quan and Jeff Cohen, as well as the death oforiginal director Richard Donner, left its future uncertain.The Goonies 2was finally confirmed in mid-January 2025, with Chris Columbus returning to write the script.
Now,Deadlinehas brought word thatPotsy Ponciroli has signed on to pen the script forThe Goonies 2. The news comes just over a month after it was announced that Chris Columbus, the writer of the original Richard Donner-helmed film, would be returning to pen the script for the long-awaited sequel. Despite the change in writer, however, Columbus is still onboard as a producer alongside Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Holly Bario for Amblin Entertainment, with Lauren Shuler Donner executive producing.
What This Means For The Goonies 2
This Is Still The Closest The Sequel Has Come To Being Real
The announcement of Ponciroli being tapped to penThe Goonies 2script is sure to come as a surprise given just how quick of a turnaround it was from Columbus being reported to return. That being said,the previous report indicated Columbus was hired to both write a treatment and script for the sequel. While the new report doesn’t indicate one way or another, it’s still possible that Ponciroli will actually be working off the original scribe’s story treatment.
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Even if he isn’t, though, Columbus' attachment as a producer might point towards his being behind the decision to bring Ponciroli on to penThe Goonies 2in his stead. Though not having entirely stopped directing,the past few years have seen Columbus instead shift to championing other filmmakers from a producer’s standpoint, including recently reuniting with Robert Eggers forhis record-settingNosferatuafter previously executive producingThe Lighthouse. With Ponciroli gradually making a name for himself with the Tim Blake Nelson-starringOld Henryand Joseph Gordon-Levitt’sGreedy People, Columbus may want to allow him the chance to shine.
Another interesting note from theGoonies 2development change is thatno director has been attached for the sequel just yet. Given the script hasn’t been completed yet, that ultimately makes sense, as a filmmaker likely wouldn’t want to attach themselves until they know for sure what they’re getting into. That being said, with Ponciroli having written and directedOld Henryhimself, Columbus and Spielberg may be open to considering him for the director’s chair onGoonies 2should his script wow them accordingly.
Our Take On The Goonies 2’s Writer Change
Columbus' Involvement Is Still A Good Sign
While it is kind of a disappointment that Columbus won’t be writing the sequel himself, particularly as that means it will have neither of its original creatives at the helm after Donner’s death in 2021, I’m still generally hopeful thatThe Goonies 2can make the long wait worth it. I can’t imagine that Columbus would hand the reins off to another writer unless he trusted in their vision, and while no cast returns have been confirmed, the eager comments fromthe originalGooniescastin recent years tell me they also wouldn’t return if the script didn’t live up to the original.
The Goonies 2
Cast
The Goonies 2 takes place twenty years after the events of The Goonies and is set to reunite most of the main cast as they embark on a new mystery to solve. The Goonies 2 ran into trouble after one of the producers, Richard Donner, passed, but the project moved forward regardless.
