Legendary Director Richard Donner Dies at 91

The Goonies | Warner Bros.

Iconic filmmaker Richard Donner has passed away. Variety reports that Donner, whose credits include helming popular films like The Goonies and Superman recently died at the age of 91. Though his death was confirmed by his production company, a specific cause wasn’t revealed.

Donner’s impressive film career includes directing some of the most beloved movies of all time. This includes the original Superman: The Movie with Christopher Reeve in 1978, a film that set the standard for comic book movies today and remains very popular with fans. He was released partway through the production of the sequel, and many fans prefer the Richard Donner Cut of the film that was released on DVD in 2006.

We also love Donner for helming The Goonies, a cult classic that’s still very popular with fans to this day. In a tweet, The Goonies star Sean Astin mourned Donner’s passing with a tribute post that read, “Richard Donner had the biggest, boomiest voice you could imagine. He commanded attention and he laughed like no man has ever laughed before. Dick was so much fun. What I perceived in him, as a 12 year old kid, is that he cared. I love how much he cared. – Goonies Never Say Die.”

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Horror fans especially love Donner for helming The Omen as well, and this was the film that really helped kick off his career as a big-name Hollywood director. His other film credits include other classics like The Toy, Scrooged, Radio Flyer, Maverick, and Assassins. He also directed all four installments of the Lethal Weapon series and was planning to direct Lethal Weapon 5 as his final film.

“This is the final one,” Donner told The Daily Telegraph in December, announcing his plans to retire with Lethal Weapon 5. “It’s both my privilege and duty to put it to bed. It’s exciting, actually… It’s the last one, I’ll promise you that.”

It’s unfortunate that this dream will not be realized, but Donner leaves behind an incredible legacy that he was hopefully very proud of. Rest in peace, Richard Donner, and thank you for everything.


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