Caffeinated Clint
Warner doing direct-to-video sequel?
As we mentioned here, a couple of months back, Warner Premiere – the WB’s new direct to video sequel arm; the crowd prepping such sequels as “Space Jam 2”, “Beetlejuice 2” and “The Lost Boys 2 : The Tribe” – have been toying with the idea of introducing 80s adventure icons “The Goonies” to Blockbuster stores, in the form of a direct-to-video sequel.
Richard Donner, director of the original film and someone whose been doing his hardest to get a theatrical sequel to the film up for years, tells IESB.net that the direct-to-video rumours are true; and he doesn’t sound too happy about it.
“There’s talk that Warners are doing a Goonies film – for 12 days – just to go right to DVD”, Donner tells the site, adding that they’ll probably spent about eleven dollars on making the movie.
The filmmaker says that the only reason they’re able to now do a direct-to-video sequel – one without his blessing – is because “Twenty years is up, the rights have run out”. (What that means is that so are the rights on the “Gremlins” series… so you can expect a direct-to-video sequel to that any day now, too).
Donner had been trying to convince Warner Bros to make a sequel – a pricier sequel, one that would hit theatres – for several years. In 2002, he said “We’re trying desperately. e’re just trying to get Warner Bros., who owns it, to say yes.”
Donner’s sequel would’ve reunited the original cast, which included Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Josh Brolin and others, with a new bunch of suburban kids, Donner said.
“The new group is called the Groonies, because they happen to live in a town where [Data], the Chinese kid, lives … and he’s got an electronics repair shop and all the kids hang out at his shop. He has this Chinese accent and he calls the Goonies the Groonies, and so the new kids call themselves the Groonies, until they get into a situation where the old Goonies have to save the new Groonies, or vice versa.”
God knows what the current sequel will be..
Head to IESB.net to check out what Donner has to say about “Goonies 2”.
