‘Stand By Me’ Cast Poses For Rare Photo Ahead of 40th Anniversary: ‘Town Seemed Different, Somehow’

Road trip!

Stand By Me costars Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman came across a sign for Castle Rock, Washington while celebrating the movie’s 40th anniversary on a nationwide live tour.

Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, the 1986 Rob Reiner-directed coming-of-age classic follows a group of childhood friends as they search for the body of a missing boy.

“We had only been gone forty years, but the town seemed different, somehow. Smaller,” Wheaton, 53, wrote, referencing a famous quote from the film.

Notably absent was the late River Phoenix, who died at age 23 from a drug overdose in 1993.

“The movie is called Stand By Me, and there’s four of us,” Feldman, 54, told People in March. “We can’t stand by River, because he’s not here. Now with Rob missing too — I’m sorry, I’m going to get a little emotional — but I was so hoping that he would be able to join us for this.”

The 78-year-old director and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Los Angeles home in December. Their son, Nick Reiner, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder but, as Closer previously reported, has pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

“When the news came around, I was so grateful that we were all reconnected because we really helped each other out,” O’Connell, 52, said of Reiner’s tragic passing. “Especially those immediate moments when it was shocking.”

Added Wheaton, “It turns out that we really needed each other in those days.”