The Bold Type's Sarah Watson is making a TV show about kids who want to remake The Goonies
It’s a dream that kids the whole world wide have entertained since the very first time they saw Richard Donner’s beloved ’80s adventure flick The Goonies: Inventing a boxing glove that pops out of your coat and punches a mobster in the face when he’s trying to murder you and all of your friends. (To say nothing of getting your own pair of Slick Shoes, the ultimate in anti-Fratelli fashion.) But also: Recreating the general Cyndi Lauper-powered energy of the Spielberg-produced cult classic, from the plucky vibe of tireless underdog Sean Astin, to every child’s natural fear of character actress Anne Ramsey.
Now, The Bold Type’s Sarah Watson is aiming to recreate that magic through the magic of, well, recreation: Deadline reports that Watson has just sold Fox on an untitled drama pilot about a group of kids trying to remake The Goonies. The untitled series would center on a burnt-out substitute teacher who reignites her passion for life by helping three of her students produce a shot-for-shot remake of the 1985 Joe Pantoliano vehicle. It’s a fun premise, even if the copy being quoted by Deadline—which includes lines like “She finds inspiration, hope and ultimately salvation” and “their passion will inspire a town in desperate need of hope in this love letter to the power of cinema, storytelling and dreams”—does feel like a little much when you remember that we’re talking about a movie best known for bringing the Truffle Shuffle into the world.
Donner is being listed as a producer on the series, along with Spielberg’s Amblin and Warner Bros. itself. That, in turn, feels like it might open up the door to some interesting cameos down the line, with the whole project having shades of that truly excellent stage production of Alien put on by North Bergen Junior High last year.