Nostalgia is currently big business. Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix are scrambling to claim viewers by harking back to long-dormant franchises, with Karate Kid and the Dark Crystal being just two examples of movies from the eighties that have recently had nostalgic updates for a modern audience. With a new production of Willow in the works, it seems like classic movies are back in a big way. However, there are still a few big hitters that seem to be overlooked.
The Goonies
The Goonies was the ultimate adventure movie. Released in 1985, it is the story of a group of misfits who find a treasure map and set out to find a pirate's treasure. It has such a cultural legacy it is on the United States National Film Registry for its cultural and historical significance.
Directed by Richard Donner, it also had a superstar writing team of Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg and was produced by Amblin Entertainment, Spielberg’s own company. Unlike many of their productions, the franchise has not been capitalized on as many of their other creations have.
So far, the only known follow-up is in the world of online bingo games. Buzz Bingo has a title known as the Goonies Return, which is quite apt considering the film's treasure-based themes. Board games have also been released that riff on this theme, including the Funko Games title Goonies: Never Say Die.
Nonetheless, Variety does report that a tie-in of sorts is set for release on Disney +. This will focus on a teacher who gets her class to recreate the film frame by frame. IMDB also has a more traditional cinematic follow-up listed for a 2027 release.
Big Trouble in Little China
Big Trouble in Little China is another cult movie that has never really gained the mainstream success it deserves. It mixes a little bit of everything into one, managing to be humorous but packing itself with adventure and martial arts. Like some giant melting pot of cinema, in a climate obsessed with the genre a remake may find itself hard to define.
Directed by John Carpenter, Kurt Russell takes the part of Jack Burton. When his best friend's girlfriend gets kidnapped, he becomes involved in a battle to get her back. They must rescue her from the clutches of the evil Lo Pan who wants to sacrifice her so that he can claim immortality.
There have been rumors that Carpenter was teaming up with Dwayne Johnson for a sequel to the movie. Yet nothing has been confirmed or seems to have moved forward. The only other media to date has been a successful comic book series by BOOM! Studios.
Escape From New York
Kurt Russell is the star in another eighty’s classic, Escape From New York. Playing prisoner Snake Plissken, he must rescue the President from Manhattan Island, which has been repurposed as a maximum-security prison. He has 24 hours to go in and perform the extraction as he fights off crazed prisoners and rides around in armored cabs.
In 1996, a sequel, Escape from LA, was released but it did not have the impact or critical acclaim of the first. According to Movieweb, John Carpenter has discussed a sequel known as Escape from Earth. Although Kurt Russell has said it is a young man's role, his son Wyatt has been slated for the casting.
