…isn’t in the works. But that won’t stop the pilgrimage to 368 38th Street in Astoria, Oregon, where the Goonies house still draws traffic.

Christopher Columbus, Goonies screenwriter, is focused instead on 28 Seacliff Avenue in San Francisco. It’s where the adventure is set in his new novel,  House of Secrets cowritten with Ned Vizzini. The just-published book echoes elements of Gooniedom including “a house that feels simultaneously creepy and too good to be true.”

Goonies Day is observed every June 7th in Astoria, the anniversary of the movie’s 1985 release date.

Columbus acknowledged the Goonies legacy in a April 27 interview with Scott Simon on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday.

“I think it’s a thematic sequel, in a weird way, to The Goonies. People have been asking me for years to write a sequel to The Goonies, and I could never find a way to write a sequel, so that’s what House of Secrets has become. So for all those people who love The Goonies, this is closest you’re probably going to get to it,” says Columbus.

After his success with The Goonies, Columbus directed Home Alone and the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise.

“When I did [Harry] Potter, every production assistant on the set or younger person would come up to me and say “You know, you changed my life was that film Goonies.” I would say “What? Really?” They would say “No, really. It’s your best film and we’re obsessed with it. When are you going to make a sequel?” I said “It’s kind of impossible because the kids are 20 years older. Steve [Spielberg] and I have talked about it a few times, but there’s not really an idea that’s been working yet. Then when Ned and I were putting together House of Secrets, I felt that this is really a first cousin to Goonies thematically. That’s the spirit I wrote the book with. I felt I hadn’t written that kind of story since Goonies.” -The Hollywood Reporter”

Publisher notes

Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything: two loving parents, a beautiful house in San Francisco, and all the portable electronic devices they could want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job in the wake of a mysterious incident. Now in dire straits, the family must relocate to an old Victorian house that used to be the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff.

By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they’re banished to a primeval forest way off the grid. Their parents? Gone. Their friends? A world away. And they aren’t alone. Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they’ll discover it’s not just their family that’s in danger . . . it’s the entire world.Related articles

• Chris Columbus Calls Debut Novel a ‘Cousin’ to ‘The Goonies;’ Thinks It’s Too Big to Film (slashfilm.com)
• Siblings, Seafarers And ‘Secrets’ In Moviemaker’s Novel (wnyc.org)
• THE GOONIES’ Sloth and Chunk – 28 Years Later (geektyrant.com)
• Ned Vizzini – Author Interview – Novels vs Scriptwriting (House of Secrets Blog Tour) (kirstyes.co.uk)
• ‘Goonies’ cast members reunite at EW’s CapeTown Film Festival (insidemovies.ew.com)