While it’s now just a footnote to the film’s legacy, there were originally plans for a The Goonies musical to be made in 2010 with the director of the original film, Richard Donner, attached to it.
RELATED: Superman, Lethal Weapon & Goonies Director Richard Donner Dies at 91
The treatment for the musical adaptation was written by The Simpsons writer and producer Tim Long, who has the film The Exchange releasing July 30. Long worked closely with Donner on it. ComingSoon asked Long about the musical and getting to work with the famed director.
“[Richard Donner] was unbelievably great. He could not have been a sweeter person,” Long told ComingSoon. “It’s funny, he’s one of those guys who even though he was 91, you just sort of thought he would live forever. He could not have been kinder to me. I went over to his house many times and it was also really nice to work with his wife, Lauren Shuler Donner. They were sort of this incredible team who worked together and lived together and were unbelievably in love. It was just a treat all the time. He will be missed.”
RELATED: Revisiting Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Back in 2010, Donner had high praise for Long’s treatment.
“There’s a great writer/producer called Tim Long who does musicals on The Simpsons which are classic,” said Donner to EmpireOnline in 2010. “He just delivered a treatment of The Goonies as a musical, and it’s friggin’ great!”
While The Goonies musical never made its way onto Broadway, it still speaks to Donner’s creativity and collaborative spirit.
