Richard Donner confirms that there was movement on a "Goonies" sequel - but it unfortunately didn't pan out.

"We tried really hard, and Steven (Spielberg) said, 'Let's do it.' We had a lot of young writers submit work, but it just didn't seem to call for it," the filmmaker tells Variety.

Among writers who submitted "Goonies 2" scripts - "Transformers" scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

As of about six weeks ago Warner Bros were still considering a big-screen "Goonies" sequel so the nail's only just been planted in the coffin.

Still, all is not lost.

"I'm in the process of trying to get [a spin-off] done as a musical on Broadway", says Donner. "Wouldn't that be great?"