This week marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Stand By Me. Adapted from a Stephen King novella, The Body, it tells the story of four teenage boys who hike into the woods to find the body of young boy who has gone missing from their small town.
However, it's more coming-of-age film than murder mystery, which is why it has endured in popularity. The boys are about to start high school, which will see them split up and set on different courses in life; this is their last adventure together before everything changes. It's a blend of nostalgia for the simple years of childhood, and an acknowledgement that those days can't last for ever.
Of course the cast of the film had to grow up too, and here's what they're up to now:
Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton played Gordie, a shy kid who lived in the shadow of his recently deceased older brother.
Although Stand By Me was his first major role, Wheaton had already several made for TV movies under his belt when he got the role. A year after Stand By Me's release, he was cast as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation, a part he played until the show ended in 1994. He then took a break from Hollywood, and spent some time working in tech, before returning to acting and Los Angeles. Much of his recent work has been as a voice actor, but he can also be seen playing himself in a reoccurring role on The Big Bang Theory.
River Phoenix
River Phoenix played Chris Chambers, Gordie's best friend, who struggled to overcome the reputation of his troubled family.
River Phoenix (older brother of Joaquin) was a child star, who began acting at the age of 12. Three years after Stand By Me, he appeared as the young Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade and went to deliver a critically acclaimed performance in 1991 film My Own Private Idaho. He passed away from a drug over dose in 1993, aged just 23.
Jerry O'Connell
Jerry O'Connell played Vern, an overweight, nervous kid, who was the butt of many of the group's jokes.
Jerry O'Connell was the only first time actor amongst the four main actors. In the years following Stand By Me he worked on TV shows including My Secret Identity and Camp Wilder, before going on to star in Jerry Maguire in 1996. In recent years he has again returned to TV, with appearances in Billions, Mistresses and more. He's married to X-Men actress Rebecca Romijn, and the pair have twin daughters together.
Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman played Teddy, the slightly on-edge member of the group, whose family business was a source of gossip for everyone in the boys' small town.
Corey Feldman was already well known when he appeared in Stand By Me, having starred in The Goonies and Gremlins in the years before. His status was only enhanced with his role in The Lost Boys, which came out a year after Stand By Me was released. During the late 1980s, he was one of the highest paid teen stars in Hollywood. His career slowed down in the 90s, as he battled a drug addiction, but in recent years he has worked steadily with TV shows, voice roles and reality TV. In 2013 he released his autobiography, discussing his life as a child star and the death of his best friend Corey Haim.