Specter313
Ghost of all things X
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GOONIES: THE SEARCH FOR SLOTH
Richard Donner returns to the world of his classic movie, and hes bringing Geoff Johns along for the adventure
By Ben Morse & Sean Collins
Hey you guyyyyysthe Goonies are back! Joining forces once again with his Action Comics writing partner and protégé Geoff Johns, legendary Superman and Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner is diving back into the action, mystery, humor and thrills of The Goonies with an all-new, all-comics sequel. Goonies: The Search for Sloth, a five-issue miniseries co-written by Donner and Johns with art by Matt Haley (Superman Returns), is slated to reunite Mikey, Chunk, Data, Mouth, Brand, Andy and Stef this summer.
The much-loved original 1985 teen-adventure classic, written by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone), produced by Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and directed by Donner, introduced the Goonies, a ragtag group of kids on a quest to find a lost pirates treasure that would bring them up against the criminal Fratelli family, lead them through a treacherous maze of booby-trapped caves and introduce them to a gentle giant named Sloth. Over two decades later, their adventures will finally continue in the new mini, distributed by Donner Comics (a publishing venture established by Donner and Johns specifically for releasing the sequel). And the return to the Goondocks all began when Johns, who worked for Donner as his personal assistant years ago, made a surprising discovery.
Since I first worked for Dick, there was always talk of doing Goonies 2, recalls the superstar comics writer. I actually found an old script for a sequel when I was cleaning out the office. It featured a whole new group of Goonies, but none were as endearing as the originals. [Dick and I] started talking about how it would have been cool to follow the original kids, but it was 20 years later and you couldnt do a movie like that about 30-year-olds. I remember saying, Thats the great thing about comics: Your heroes age more slowly.
That got me thinking, Donner elaborates. They used to do all sorts of comic books based on television shows and movies when I read them, with photo covers if I recall. We talked about what we could do. Nothing was limited by reality.
Now, those talks from long ago will finally bear fruit in a story that takes place in the present day but picks up just several years later in comic-book time. Some of the Goonies are in high school and others are in college, but theyre no longer quite functioning as a group.
A lot of childhood friends grow apart as they grow up and motivations change, says Donner. However, in this case a specific event took place that split them apart.
While neither Donner nor Johns would speak further about what split the Goonies apartthough Johns hinted it involved some sort of love triangle between popular girl Andy and brothers Mikey and BrandWizard can report that the thrust of the series will center around Chunk discovering that Sloth, who has relocated to the caves from the first film, has gone missing on the same day that the Fratellis escape from prison. With a newspaper clipping reporting a Bigfoot sighting in Hells Canyon, Ore., as his only clue, Chunk must reunite his old friends to once again save the day.
Hes an amazing character, and if you look at the first movie, really a hell of a hero, says Johns of moving Chunk into the protagonists role. Plus, I know Jeff Cohen [the actor who played Chunk]. Hes now one of the best entertainment lawyers around and kicks my ass on Xbox 360. I can bounce everything off of him.
In addition to consulting with Cohen and other original Goonies cast members, including Sean Astin (Mikey) and Corey Feldman (Mouth), Donner, Johns and Haley plan to take a trip to Hells Canyon, where the bulk of the series action will take place.
We want to really live in the world of The Goonies, explains Johns. And wait until you see what Matt does with the Hells Canyon stuff. Ive seen some preliminary work, and it will blow your mind.
While most Goonies fans will no doubt be excited to see their heroes back in any form, Johns and Donner have anticipated some degree of controversy as they prepare to reveal the mysterious true origin of Sloth.
This was always part of his backstory from the very first draft that Spielberg was involved with, Johns contends. Were actually adding one of the cut original scenes talking about Sloth into the comic.
While the excitement for Johns and Haley to work on this much beloved property runs high, it cant equal the enthusiasm of Donner, eager to get back to one of his pet projects and remind people why they fell in love with The Goonies in the first place. I got my comic book chops back on Action Comics, and Im ready to put the kid [Johns] in the passenger seat again.
As Search for Sloth gears up for a hopeful late summer launch, Johns left us with one final clue: Bigfoot is the central mystery behind this Goonies adventure. Thats about all I can sayother than the fact that he is real.
http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/004079256.cfm
Richard Donner returns to the world of his classic movie, and hes bringing Geoff Johns along for the adventure
By Ben Morse & Sean Collins
Posted April 1, 2007 10:50 AM
Hey you guyyyyysthe Goonies are back! Joining forces once again with his Action Comics writing partner and protégé Geoff Johns, legendary Superman and Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner is diving back into the action, mystery, humor and thrills of The Goonies with an all-new, all-comics sequel. Goonies: The Search for Sloth, a five-issue miniseries co-written by Donner and Johns with art by Matt Haley (Superman Returns), is slated to reunite Mikey, Chunk, Data, Mouth, Brand, Andy and Stef this summer.
The much-loved original 1985 teen-adventure classic, written by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone), produced by Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and directed by Donner, introduced the Goonies, a ragtag group of kids on a quest to find a lost pirates treasure that would bring them up against the criminal Fratelli family, lead them through a treacherous maze of booby-trapped caves and introduce them to a gentle giant named Sloth. Over two decades later, their adventures will finally continue in the new mini, distributed by Donner Comics (a publishing venture established by Donner and Johns specifically for releasing the sequel). And the return to the Goondocks all began when Johns, who worked for Donner as his personal assistant years ago, made a surprising discovery.
Since I first worked for Dick, there was always talk of doing Goonies 2, recalls the superstar comics writer. I actually found an old script for a sequel when I was cleaning out the office. It featured a whole new group of Goonies, but none were as endearing as the originals. [Dick and I] started talking about how it would have been cool to follow the original kids, but it was 20 years later and you couldnt do a movie like that about 30-year-olds. I remember saying, Thats the great thing about comics: Your heroes age more slowly.
That got me thinking, Donner elaborates. They used to do all sorts of comic books based on television shows and movies when I read them, with photo covers if I recall. We talked about what we could do. Nothing was limited by reality.
Now, those talks from long ago will finally bear fruit in a story that takes place in the present day but picks up just several years later in comic-book time. Some of the Goonies are in high school and others are in college, but theyre no longer quite functioning as a group.
A lot of childhood friends grow apart as they grow up and motivations change, says Donner. However, in this case a specific event took place that split them apart.
While neither Donner nor Johns would speak further about what split the Goonies apartthough Johns hinted it involved some sort of love triangle between popular girl Andy and brothers Mikey and BrandWizard can report that the thrust of the series will center around Chunk discovering that Sloth, who has relocated to the caves from the first film, has gone missing on the same day that the Fratellis escape from prison. With a newspaper clipping reporting a Bigfoot sighting in Hells Canyon, Ore., as his only clue, Chunk must reunite his old friends to once again save the day.
Hes an amazing character, and if you look at the first movie, really a hell of a hero, says Johns of moving Chunk into the protagonists role. Plus, I know Jeff Cohen [the actor who played Chunk]. Hes now one of the best entertainment lawyers around and kicks my ass on Xbox 360. I can bounce everything off of him.
In addition to consulting with Cohen and other original Goonies cast members, including Sean Astin (Mikey) and Corey Feldman (Mouth), Donner, Johns and Haley plan to take a trip to Hells Canyon, where the bulk of the series action will take place.
We want to really live in the world of The Goonies, explains Johns. And wait until you see what Matt does with the Hells Canyon stuff. Ive seen some preliminary work, and it will blow your mind.
While most Goonies fans will no doubt be excited to see their heroes back in any form, Johns and Donner have anticipated some degree of controversy as they prepare to reveal the mysterious true origin of Sloth.
This was always part of his backstory from the very first draft that Spielberg was involved with, Johns contends. Were actually adding one of the cut original scenes talking about Sloth into the comic.
While the excitement for Johns and Haley to work on this much beloved property runs high, it cant equal the enthusiasm of Donner, eager to get back to one of his pet projects and remind people why they fell in love with The Goonies in the first place. I got my comic book chops back on Action Comics, and Im ready to put the kid [Johns] in the passenger seat again.
As Search for Sloth gears up for a hopeful late summer launch, Johns left us with one final clue: Bigfoot is the central mystery behind this Goonies adventure. Thats about all I can sayother than the fact that he is real.
http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/004079256.cfm
, but there was an article on the mini in last month's Wizard.
