The Goonies never say die and that is certainly the case for a long-planned TV series about a substitute teacher and some of her students trying to film a shot-for-shot remake of the beloved 80s family classic. The show has been in development for at least two years and now Disney Plus have swooped in to make it into a series.
The plot bears an uncanny resemblance to the real-life story of Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb – three friends who spent seven of their summer holidays making a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark, starting in 1982 when they were only 12 years old. A documentary about their endeavour, called Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, was released in 2015 and is currently available on Hulu.
The Goonies series now has the official title of Our Time and original director Richard Donner’s company (called Donner Company) as well as Steven Spielberg’s Amblin TV are involved in the production. The chances of members of the original cast of The Goonies making cameos seems high.
The head of development at Warner Bros TV said that; “Creator Sarah Watson worked nonstop to deliver this incredible script, we had our table read, and then the world shut down for COVID. So we came back many months later and finished the beautiful pilot, and it was an incredible cast, but unfortunately a little bit too young for Fox. And so we immediately swung into high gear and hit the town with it.”
“We did not yet have anything in development at Disney Plus. It’s been another example of being able to carve a pathway where there wasn’t one by virtue of a great story, a great pilot, a great series. The deal has taken a while to make, but we’re really excited to be moving forward.”
According to Collider; “Watson’s original script centered on Stella Cooper, a woman who fled back to her hometown after failing to make anything of herself in New York. Upon taking a job as a substitute teacher, her inspiration is rekindled once she meets three students with the dream of recreating The Goonies in its entirety. She agrees to help them make this undertaking a reality, recapturing every iconic shot and line with the amateur acting and storytelling of a home movie.”
In case you need reminding The Goonies features a gang of kids, including Mikey (Lord of the Rings’ Sean Astin), Mouth (Corey Feldman), Chunk (Jeff Cohen), Data (Ke Huy Quan) and Stef (Martha Plimpton), who find a pirate treasure map and become embroiled with a gang of criminals.
While we wait for what sounds like a fantastic and nostalgic show, check out our guides to the best family movies and the best 80s movies.