I want a sequel to The Goonies like I want a rectal prolapse, but there are plenty of people who love the original film, screamy and annoying as it is, enough to want to revisit these paper thin characters in their implausible situations all over again. And sometimes those people get together and have conventions. And sometimes they write in to CHUD.com with all the details, including the next round in the endless Goonies 2 speculation game. Brandon has this to say:
I attended the "Goonies Never Say Die!" event in Astoria, Oregon on Saturday. A celebration/conference for Goonies fans from all of the world, this weekend-long conference/20th anniversary celebration offered tours of the Goonie house, Ecola State Park and featured guest speaker Jeff "Chunk" Cohen.
During a "Growing Up Goonie" Q&A on Saturday, a question about the current status of "Goonies 2 "was one of the first ones asked. Cohen said he was contacted by Spielberg last year and though the pitch was "funny" but the suits at Warner Brothers aren’t keen on playing ball. While Donner, Spielberg and most of the cast are willing to jump on board, the company isn’t willing to shell out the funds necessary. According to Cohen, there are other interested companies/investors willing to cough up the necessary cash but Warners owns the rights and is so far refusing to budge.
Over the weekend, the Columbian Theater in downtown Astoria showed the original film, along with a new documentary by Ron Fugelseth and Patrick Radcliff, the directors of "The Goonies Vacation." Along with interviews with crew members and Lupe "Rosalita" Ontiveros, the two managed to score a sit-down with Donner. "’Goonies 2′ will still happen," the director said. "Provided enough of you keep complaining and sending in letters." Further information on this documentary can be found at their website @ http://thegoonies.org/
While the sequel remains stuck in development hell, Cohen hinted that there’s another Goonies product in the works, set for release next year. He was unable to give any details so there’s no telling what it could be. Could it be a video game? A Goonies anime? A talking Chunk action figure with a "Truffle Shuffle" button? A talking Steph button with a "whine and snap gum" button. Only time will tell.
The event drew Goonie fans from as far away as Germany and the UK. Several attendees spent the weekend dressed like characters from the film. One female Asian fan inexplicably showed up to the Q & A on Saturday in a Brand sweatsuit complete with a red bandana. After a "Truffle Shuffle" contest, a fan dressed like Sloth proposed to his girlfriend on stage. She said "yes" to much applause. According to rumor, Sean Astin himself also showed up at the last minute to sign autographs and even attended two fan weddings at the Goonie house late on Saturday afternoon.
The house, which had fallen into severe disrepair in the ’90s, has been fully restored by the current residents. It’s in great shape and they allowed tours to come through over the weekend. It now looks much different then it did back in the day. The stairwell has been moved the main entrance has been turned into a storage closet. During the tour, the owner graciously allowed us to climb the stairs and peak into the attic. Instead of treasure maps and news stories on Chester Cobblepot, we greeted by dust bunnies and spider webs. Contrary to popular belief, the film’s attic scenes were all filmed on a soundstage in Hollywood.
Out front, the previous owner, who now lives in "Data’s house," was sitting in a lawn chair and answered a few questions. When Donner and company were scouting for locations around town, they spotted his place on the hill and drove up. His mother was there at the time and nearly turned them away. After returning from a business trip in Seattle, she told him that "a bunch of hippies came by and said they said they wanted the house for a movie or something." They were given $2000 up front from Universal and $500 a month for rent during the four month shoot in Astoria.
Ok, one last anecdote and I’ll wrap this up. During the Q&A, Cohen broke out an anecdote about his days as a male cheerleader at Berkeley. During his first game, he attempted to lead a cheer and a drunk fratboy interrupted him. "Do the Truffle Shuffle," he demanded. Cohen, who never wanted to do the now legendary dance for the movie and even requested a closed set for the filming of it, had long vowed never to do the shuffle again. Within minutes, the entire crowd at the game was chanting "do the Truffle Shuffle!" Even the band started banging their drums to keep the beat. Fearing a riot, he bit the bullet and obliged.
I have a hard time imagining that there are projects Spielberg wants to do that he can’t get off the ground. But hey, who doubts the word of the Chunk?