Next year, Stand By Me will turn 40.
I know. Take all the time you need to absorb and deal with that. It kinda snuck up on me, too.
We filmed Stand By Me in the summer of 1985, mostly in and around Brownsville, Oregon. At the end of production, we moved down to Burney, California, where we filmed the train trestle sequence. Then we wrapped, we all went home, and waited a year for the movie to be released. During that year, they changed the name from The Body to Stand By Me, and recast Richard Dreyfuss as the narrator.
During that year, I just waited. It never occurred to me to consider that it wouldn’t be released, though that was a very real possibility. In fact, when Stand By Me turned 25, Jerry, Corey, and I sat down with Rob Reiner and Richard Dreyfuss to revist production, Jerry told us that he didn’t think it would ever come out, because his dad had told him that most movies that are filmed don’t actually get released. I can’t imagine that year for him, feeling like all the work was going to go into a warehouse to be overseen by top men. I can’t imagine what all of our lives would we like if it had.
I’ve been thinking about production a lot this summer, because it’s wild to me that I know pretty much exactly where I was and what I was doing 40 years ago to the day, when I had no idea that … everything that happened would happen. It’s wild to me that I turned 13 FORTY years ago. It just doesn’t feel that far away.
ANYWAY. This is happening:
STAND BY ME: The Film and Its Stars 40 Years Later
A Night of Reflection, Connection, and the Friendships That Shape Us
with Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and Wil Wheaton
Some stories don’t fade with time—they grow deeper. For 40 years, Stand By Me has spoken to something timeless in all of us: the wonder and heartbreak of growing up, the bonds we form in childhood, and the way those moments stay with us long after the journey ends.
Join us for a deeply special evening honoring one of the most beloved films of a generation. Experience Stand By Me on the big screen once more, followed by an intimate, long-awaited reunion and live, in-person conversation with the stars who lived it—Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and Wil Wheaton.
Together, they’ll revisit the summer that changed everything—on set and on screen—sharing memories, laughter, and secrets behind a film that still brings people together after all these years. The evening will also include heartfelt reflections on working with their friend and co-star, the late River Phoenix, whose iconic performance continues to resonate with audiences around the world.
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve.”
This night is for anyone who knows exactly what that means.
Tickets are available for two screenings:
These two events will obviously be extremely special to me (I don’t want to speak for the other guys, but I strongly suspect they would say the same thing), and we are doing them with an eye toward doing screenings in a few different cities next year. These screenings will tell us what we need to know, so we can plan accordingly. I have SO MANY ideas to do some genuinely special things, so cross all your fingers.
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Sounds great, I hope a West Coast showing can happen, Seattle in particular 😉
I’m beside myself right now imagining being able to actually go see this in the theater with you all there to talk about it! Please come to Seattle!
I sure hope that the Northeast showings do well, because I love for a screening to come to the SF Bay Area.
I am so thrilled for all of you being able to reunite for such an amazing couple of nights. If we fans are lucky, we’ll be near one of the cities for the dates currently scheduled or one scheduled for next year. Personally hoping for San Francisco. The story, the characters, the music are all alive and well in my mind. Even if I don’t get to join you, I’m happy knowing you’ll have wonderful people in your audiences.
I’m not going to do the “please come to my city” thing, because Jesus, would anyone?
(Yeah, still in Texas – had to take another year lease to get things in order, but it has an end point, and then…hopefully, hopefully. But anyway…I’d love to see you all in something like this. I was just talking about Stand by Me the other day with a friend, and how I definitely resonated with it at that age. It would be fun to revisit it in this way – any thoughts of a cinema event, like Fathom does with special screenings with a filmed Q&A after? Not the same, but makes it accessible to many who might not be able to see it otherwise?)
I hope it’s a massive success, and everyone has a blast doing it, and they want to do more, and dates open up in the Midwest. (I live in Wisconsin, so either coast is kind of out of my range.)
Also, it’s kind of weird in a good way that so many Xers have a heartfelt connection to a nostalgia movie for Boomers. The magic of movies, bringing us all together. \m/
🥰🥰🥰
Ticket & hotel in NH – booked! Cannot wait for this once-in-a-lifetime experience 💚
I was on vacation in England last week when I saw the announcement on Facebook about this. I knew I had to get tickets to the Concord, NH show. Managed to snag them and I am so excited. Stand By Me is truly one of the most special movies and so much of that stems from the cast. The chemistry between the 4 of you was magical to watch and combined with a great story it was amazing. Cannot wait!!
Love the entire cast!
It seems obvious that you come to Eugene since Brownsville doesn’t have a movie theater.
Hopefully those showings do well. It would seem to be a no-brainer to have you all go back to Brownsville and tie it together with their annual “Stand By Me” Day celebration.
I so hope you come to the midwest. I’d travel anywhere, but man, St. Louis Fox Theater is gorgeous and amazing and that would just be perfect!
squee I just bought tickets for the Concord show. * excited bouncing*
Seattle or Portland, please!! 😍
Seattle or Portland, please!! 😍
In the midst of a move, my 22-year old daughter-in-law wanted to relax and watch this film she’d heard about. So we watched Stand By Me, my fiancée, her son, his girlfriend, and me. It was magical. Thanks Wil.
Holy crud, I was assuming this was going to be a West Coast thing, because of course it was…but New Hampshire of all places, and the day after my birthday???
Now to see if I can swing the cost, they are some pricy tickets, but I am sure it will be worth it. I does look like sales are doing well though.
Wil! I love this idea! For those who can’t travel due to work (or an abundance of pets), it would be fabulous (after the screenings) to have a zoom live broadcast of the film with you, Corey, and Jerry adding commentary perhaps a la Mystery Science Theater 3000. I’d definitely pay to watch that in community with other livers of Stand By Me. Of course the audience would be muted until your Q&A at the end… . Please consider it. 😊
Appreciate you!!
Does anyone else do this?
Gordie/The Narrator in the film would be 78 right now. 79 next year.
Stephen King will be 78 this year. 79 next year.
Rob Reiner is 78 this year. He will be 79 next year.
Richard Dreyfus will turn 78 this year. 79 next year.
River Phoenix would have been 55 this year.
Wil is 52. When William Shatner was 52, “The Search for Spock” was in theaters. Patrick Stewart was in his 6th season of playing Captain Picard on TNG.
Wil, Cory and Jerry are each older than the ages of all four SbM main characters combined.
Pengo is a far superior game than Mr. Do. Okay…not really. But close.
“SbM” was released 468 months ago.
I’ve watched it at least a dozen times since it first came out.