Two iconic movies from the 1980s are set to make a comeback in the 2020s. Warner Bros. is currently in the early stages of developing a third Gremlins movie and exploring the possibility of a Goonies reboot.

Reports indicate that Warner Bros. is collaborating with Christopher Columbus on a new Gremlins film and working on a treatment for The Goonies. While specific details remain under wraps, the news emerged as part of the studio’s broader strategy to expand some of its biggest franchises, including The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and the DC Universe. Additionally, a sequel to the 1998 romantic fantasy Practical Magic, with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock reprising their roles, is also in development.

This isn’t Warner Bros.’ first attempt to revive the Gremlins franchise in recent years. In 2023, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai premiered on Max. The animated prequel series, set in 1920s Shanghai, follows a young Sam Wing, the original owner of Gizmo. Its second season, retitled The Wild Batch, will bring the story to San Francisco.

A third Gremlins movie was previously in development during the 2010s, with Columbus attached, but the project never came to fruition. Columbus’ involvement in this new installment is significant, as he did not participate in the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch or the animated series.

The Goonies: A Return to Adventure?

The potential Goonies project appears to be in an earlier phase than the new Gremlins movie, as it is still in the treatment stage—a precursor to a full script. It’s unclear whether the project will be a remake or a legacy sequel to the 1985 classic. However, the original cast has expressed enthusiasm about returning for a continuation.

In September 2024, Sean Astin, who starred in the original film, shared a fan poster for a sequel titled Goonies Are Good Enough on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “It’s our time. C’mon Steven [Spielberg].” Astin has been vocal about his desire for a sequel, stating in a 2014 interview that director Richard Donner was interested in revisiting the story. Unfortunately, Donner passed away in 2021 at the age of 91.

Ke Huy Quan, who played Data in The Goonies, has also spoken about the challenges of making a sequel. In a January 2023 interview with Variety, he explained that finding a script that lives up to the original has been the main obstacle. “For over 30 years, we’ve tried to do a Goonies 2,” Quan said. “When I was younger, I hoped it would happen because I thought it might revive my career. We had several scripts, but none felt right for the legacy of the original. Sadly, we lost our captain, Dick Donner, whom I dearly loved. I’m not sure if Goonies 2 will ever happen, but I’d love to revisit my character if it does.”

Todd Haynes was planning to cast Danny Ramirez and Joaquin Phoenix in a gay romance movie. However, Phoenix left the untitled production five days before Guadalajara, Mexico, filming got underway.

At the Academy Museum Gala on Saturday night in Los Angeles, Ramirez told Variety’s Marc Malkin, “It’s definitely disappointing.” “If anything,” he continued, “If anything, it just gave me more inspiration to keep driving, keep pushing, and knowing that I’m on the right path and approaching the work the right way. So that’s what I’m excited about.”

The movie, which depended on Phoenix’s casting, was in danger after it was revealed in August that he had quit the production, according to sources. Two guys in love in the 1930s who escape Los Angeles and travel to Mexico were the main subject of the NC-17-rated movie.

“It’s definitely a very complicated situation,” Ramirez stated. “The audition process was extensive, and so what I walked away with that was just the artistic validation of throwing down opposite of [Phoenix] in this chemistry read… There was a moment that I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve arrived as a performer.’”

“The most recent update is ‘hopefully.’” Ramirez said in response to a question about whether the movie is still in development with filmmaker Haynes.

Although David Schwimmer admits his “career would have taken a very different trajectory” if he had been the lead in the 1997 movie, he doesn’t regret declining Men in Black.

The actor said, “That’s not why I turned it down,” in response to a question on a recent episode of the podcast Origins With Cush Jumbo regarding whether he rejected down the successful franchise because it conflicted with his Friends filming schedule. Rather, he decided to become a feature film director.

Schwimmer said, “[It] was a brutal decision.” the actor chuckles. “I had just finished filming The Pallbearer, my first film with Gwyneth Paltrow, and there were high expectations of that, which didn’t come true (Laughs). It was kind of a bomb, but there were high expectations, and the studio, which was Miramax, wanted to lock me into a three-picture deal at a fixed price, and I said I would do that if I got to direct my first movie.”

After months of talks, the intelligence actor said that they had come to an agreement whereby he “would act in three more movies for them” in exchange for allowing him to “direct my entire theater company in the first film,” Since You’ve Been Gone from 1998. The film was told through the perspective of a doctor who was severely beaten up by a fellow graduate on graduation day, humiliating him and setting the stage for a ten-year class reunion.

“All these unknown actors but I was going to put them on the map, basically. I was going to let everyone discover the talent of this amazing company,” Schwimmer said, “We found this amazing script, and we were developing it. We started pre-production. All my best friends in the world in my theater company quit their jobs so they could be in this film over the summer, which was going to be a six-week shoot in Chicago.”

However, Schwimmer had to make a tough decision about his career because the production for his directing debut happened to coincide with the filming of Men in Black.

The Six Days Seven Nights actor recalls, “We’re in pre-production, hired the whole crew, everything’s going and that’s when I was offered Men in Black.” “It was a direct conflict with this. My summer window from Friends was four months. I had a four-month hiatus and Men in Black was going to shoot exactly when I was going to direct this film with my company. And of course, it was an amazing opportunity. However, my theater company and that relationship with all those people would probably have ended. I don’t think it would have recovered.”

Schwimmer stated that he is unsure if “he made the right choice,” but he firmly feels that in these kinds of circumstances “you have to follow your gut, you have to follow your heart.”

“Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, [Men in Black] would have made me a movie star,” he continued. “If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.”

In the end, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith played the key parts in the Men in Black franchise.