Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

The long talked about and highly anticipated sequel to the classic 80s movie The Goonies could finally be back on the slate. Actor Sean Astin believes the sequel is now an "absolute certainty".

Astin points to the success of the original Goonies movie on DVD, which has been heavily promoted by Warner Bros. He believes they're "softening up the ground for their animated show" that was mooted a few years ago.

But he's hopeful that will be proceeded by a new generation movie sequel. A number of potential scripts for The Goonies 2 have been written over the years, but for some reason the studio has never had the confidence to go ahead with the project.

Astin (who played Mikey in the classic movie) and co-star Corey Feldman ("Mouth") is keen to see a sequel involving the kids of the original Goonies, and most of the original cast have indicated they'd be interested in reuniting for a new movie.

(They last reunited just before The Goonies DVD was released, to record the bonus commentary).

Original Goonies director Richard Donner is said to be keen to return for The Goonies II, along with Steven Spielberg as an Executive Producer.

Fans are hoping Warners opt for a live action sequel to the classic film, before spinning the franchise off into an animated series. (Check out these concept drawings made last year by cartoonist Stephen Silver)...

Warner Bros have also been licensing the Goonies logo and characters recently for a range of "retro" t-shirts, games, toys and movie memorabilia.

They also recently signed a high profile deal with American car maker Jeep, who have launched a new website Return to Astoria and a playable online game featuring all the popular Goonies characters (and of course, the new Jeep Wrangler vehicle ;-)

"It's been more than 20 years since the Goonies found One Eye'd Willy's treasure in the quiet coastal town of Astoria.

Now, join them one more time on a new adventure in the all new 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as they evade the wrath of the recently released Fratelli family, and follow a new adventure by seeking the lost second treasure that's wrapped in a story of pirate betrayal."

You can also download a cool Goonies - Return to Astoria desktop wallpaper at the site, plus a few original songs. The site even asks fans to vote on whether they should make The Goonies 2! - Hopefully the studio is watching the results closely...

And for a real retro experience, fans should download a great remake of the classic 8-bit Konami The Goonies video game... It's freeware, remains true to the original MSX version of thgame, and was created by the Brain Games crew for the 2006 Retro Remakes competition.

(And btw, go and see Sean Astin's latest movie The Final Season, if you spot it playing in a cinema near you... The "inspirational baseball movie" is based on a true story, and stars Astin, Tom Arnold, Powers Booth, and Rachel Leigh Cook. Sean's also an Executive Producer, so is keen to see positive numbers ;-)