‘Goonies’ Immersive Stage Show In Development; Chunk Won’t Return For ‘Goonies 2’
PerhapsGooniesnever say die, but apparently some of them occasionally say “eh, no thanks.” WhileCorey Feldman,Sean Astin, andJosh Brolinhave all voiced their interest in returning for a sequel,Jeff Cohen, who played Chunk, admits he’s not so eager.
Of course, none of that matters unless aGooniessequel is actually happening, and at present things aren’t looking too great. However, there is anotherGooniesproject coming in “another year or so,” according to directorRichard Donner. It’s not a movie, though — it’s an immersive off-Broadway show. Read theGoonies 2Chunk comment and learn more about theGooniesstage project after the jump.
Cohen squashed hopes of aGoonies 2Chunk appearance in a conversation withYahoo. Unlike many of his former co-stars, Cohen quit acting not long afterGoonies. Nowadays he works as an entertainment lawyer, and doesn’t particularly want career change.
Look, being an actor is great, I miss being an actor. I think anyone who’s been an actor, you kind of miss it even if you were just in school plays. You miss it because it was a fun experience. But I think I’m going to stick with the entertainment-law thing. That seems to be working out.
Fair enough. Cohen isn’t obligated to make a movie today just because he made one 30 years ago. All the same, Chunk was an integral character in the film and will surely be missed by fans ifGoonies 2moves forward without him.
Which is still a big if. AGooniessequel has been in the works for years with little to show for it, and Donner’s latest update toYahoosuggests there’s still a ways to go. Asked about the possibility of a sequel, he said:
Maybe. Again, everything takes a long time to get it right. If you do things fast and quick and easy, that’s a disservice. But if there were going to be another movie it would take us a long time to get it right, because we have a lot of history that we’re involved with and a lot of integrity that we have to keep to what once was, and lives a life of its own without destroying it. Maybe the powers that be are working on something.
Plans for theGooniestheater sound a little more concrete, judging by Donner’s comments.
We’re going to do an off-Broadway, do you know what immersion theatre is? Where there’s no seats, the venue is you go into a warehouse and there’s something happening in that warehouse and that’s the play you’ve come to see, only you become part of it and you travel through with actors. It’s very popular now. We’re doing one onThe Goonies. It will take another year or so but it’s going to be wonderful.
His description sounds a bit like Punchdrunk’s hitMacbethadaptationSleep No More; if you don’t know what that is, imagine a highbrow haunted house with actors walking around performing Shakespeare instead of trying to scare the bejesus out of you. It also sounds like a more creative way to capitalize onGooniesnostalgia than a big-screen sequel would be.
But keep in mind aGooniesstage adaptation has been in on-again, off-again development for years as well.Back in 2007, Donner said he was trying to get aGooniesBroadway musical off the ground, but nothing came of those plans. Here’s hoping the immersiveGooniesstage show won’t just become another abandoned adaptation attempt.
