Richard Donner’s The Goonies was a hit in 1985 when it was released and has charmed children and adults alike for generations since. Following a rag-tag group of kids in Astoria, Oregon called The Goonies, the film takes viewers on a treasure-hunting adventure gone wrong as a notorious crime family chases the kids. The Goonies’ love has continued through the generations, becoming a childhood classic for many kids long after its release. So it’s no wonder that Disney+ will be bringing a series adaptation of The Goonies to its platform!
The series remake had a rocky start. It was being developed for Fox before being picked up by Disney+ for a younger demographic. The series is titled Our Time, referencing the famous line by the lead Goonies, Mikey. The original film followed a fun and exciting premise:
“In the film, kids who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, attempt to save their homes from foreclosure and, in doing so, they discover an old treasure map that takes them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. During the adventure, they are chased by a family of criminals who want the treasure for themselves.”
Pirates, peril, and plenty of “booby traps” made The Goonies a beloved cult classic. We’re excited to see how writer Sarah Watson adapts The Goonies for the small screen at Disney+.
Our Time: Plot
Our Time is being produced by Warner Bros. in support of the Donner Company and Amblin Entertainment for release on Disney+. Currently, the series is still under development, and Disney hasn’t made any official announcements about the project. However, writer and executive producer Sarah Watson provided some details on the series’ conception in an interview with Variety:
“This is a partnership between me, Amblin, and Lauren Shuler Donner. When I was at Paramount, there were these young boys doing this movie about “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a shot-by-shot remake. It got some press at the time, and the studio was very upset about it. I thought it was an amazing idea, and it always stood in my head of — how can you take an idea like that and turn it into a TV series?We needed a terrific writer and great partners, so we brought the idea to Amblin and those guys loved it. Sarah Watson is our creator. The series is a story of a town and a family in the lens of “Friday Night Lights,” and within that they tell a story of a shot-by-shot remake of “The Goonies.” We had to go to Warner Bros., to Toby Emmerich, and ask if we could have rights [to “The Goonies”]. They said yes, obviously, because of Mr. Spielberg and the Donners. We’re now doing this for Disney Plus.”
For those who aren’t familiar with the shot-by-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Arc, it’s a cult film in its own right. The film was released in 1989 after six years of production utilizing anything the creators could find in their backyards, garages, or loaned by friends. Raiders of the Lost Arc: The Adaptation, as the released version was titled, was completed in 2014 after a Kickstarter campaign and went on to great acclaim at festivals and within Indiana Jones fan circles. There’s even a movie about the making of the adaptation called Raiders!, which follows the creators as they complete the final scene in their film decades later.
Taking the concept of Raiders and using it for The Goonies is very intriguing, and we’re interested to see how this series takes shape. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2020, Fox shared the logline for the series prior to when the pilot was initially picked up:
“After failing to make it in New York and carrying a heavy secret with her, Stella Cooper returns to her distressed automotive hometown to substitute teach. She finds inspiration, hope and ultimately salvation when she agrees to help three students who are pursuing their filmmaking dreams by putting on an impossibly ambitious shot-for-shot remake of one of their favorite movies —The Goonies. Over the course of the season of the potential series, their passion will inspire a town in desperate need of hope in this love letter to the power of cinema, storytelling and dreams.”
Following actor Ke Huy Quan’s incredible performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once and the sad passing of Richard Donner, The Goonies’ writer and director, this series is coming at the right time for fans of the original. With support from the Donner Company and Lauren Shuler Donner on board as an executive producer, it’s clear that Our Time has the support to become a timely homage to The Goonies 37 years after its release.
Our Time: Cast
No details on the cast have been released yet, as Our Time is still in development at Disney+. The executive producers on the project include original writer Sarah Watson, Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Lauren Shuler Donner, and the late Richard Donner.
Release Date
There is currently no confirmed release date for Our Time.