What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Buttercup’s Baby was William Goldman’s planned sequel to The Princess Bride, and it never became a finished book. Goldman wrote roughly 80 pages of it, by his own estimate, and the available accounts do not establish a complete plot. What survives is an unfinished draft, and a partial excerpt that appears in some editions of the novel.
How the sequel project started
In an interview with Ain’t It Cool News, Goldman explained that the anniversary of The Princess Bride prompted him to get in touch with the publisher. He wrote to Random House to tell them the anniversary was coming up, and the publisher replied that it would produce a 25th-anniversary edition if he wrote something about Buttercup’s Baby. Goldman said he then wrote about 80 pages.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition) | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
The Princess Bride | $14.10 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![The Princess Bride 30th Anniversary Edition DVD [Widescreen]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SPLIlvwSL._SL160_.jpg)
|
The Princess Bride 30th Anniversary Edition DVD [Widescreen] | $23.74 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
The Princess Bride (Special Edition) | $9.17 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Princess Bride, The | $14.98 | Buy on Amazon |
The page count is Goldman’s own estimate, reported in that interview. No independent measurement of the manuscript is available, and the interview does not say how the 80 pages divide between finished prose and notes.
Whether he meant to finish it
Goldman was not sure he would complete the book. In the same interview he said: “I don’t know if I’m going to write it. I have that much written, and I feel pretty neat about it. That’s the only thing I’ve ever written, you have to understand, that I really liked. Of all the books that I’ve written, that’s the one that I care for.”
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match#1 Best Overall
- MGM The Princess Bride (2-Disc 20th Anniversary Edition)
That remark is the closest thing to a statement of intent in the available material. It shows he valued the pages he had written, and it leaves the rest of the book open.
What the sequel was supposed to be about
No complete plot synopsis of Buttercup’s Baby is available from Goldman or from any other reliable account. The interview does not describe the story, and nothing in the surviving material establishes its events, characters or ending.
Rank #2
Readers often assume the title points to the story of Buttercup’s child. That is a reasonable guess from the name, but it is an inference, not a documented plot. The novel’s own frame is also playful and partly fictional, so it should not be read as a summary of the sequel itself.
The Stephen King abridgment joke
The book’s claim that Stephen King would abridge Buttercup’s Baby is part of the novel’s metafictional humour, not a real arrangement. King’s official FAQ addresses this directly: “No, it’s not true. That’s a little joke from Bill Goldman who’s an old friend.” King adds that Goldman included him as a “return tip of the cap,” and says that if there were a story about Buttercup, Goldman would have to write it.
Rank #3
- The Princess Bride DVD
- 30th Annnivesary Edition
- Widescreen
Readers should treat the King passage as a literary device. It describes no contract, assignment or collaboration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Later accounts and why the book stayed unfinished
A 2025 Popverse report carries a retrospective account from Cary Elwes, who played Westley in the 1987 film. Elwes recalled that Goldman struggled to finish a sequel and that Goldman was the only person who could write it. The report attributes to Elwes a version of Goldman saying he could not work out how to make the story function.
Rank #4
These remarks come from Elwes’s memory of conversations, not from a direct quotation of Goldman’s interview. Goldman died in 2018, so the sequel was never completed by its author.
Quick Recap
Best Value
What is and is not established
| Claim | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Goldman wrote material for a sequel called Buttercup’s Baby | Established | Goldman’s interview with Ain’t It Cool News |
| About 80 pages were written | Goldman’s own estimate, not independently verified | Goldman’s interview with Ain’t It Cool News |
| Excerpt appears in some editions of The Princess Bride | Reported; contents of a specific edition must be checked | Publisher arrangement described in Goldman’s interview |
| Goldman planned to finish the book | Not established; he said he did not know | Goldman’s interview with Ain’t It Cool News |
| Complete plot of the sequel | Not stated in any available account | Not stated |
| Stephen King would abridge the book | Joke within the novel’s frame, per King’s official FAQ | Stephen King’s official FAQ |
| Goldman found it hard to complete a sequel | Elwes’s recollection, reported in 2025 | Popverse report, 2025 |
If you are looking for the excerpt
- Look for a 25th-anniversary edition of The Princess Bride, which the interview ties to the sequel material.
- Check the table of contents or the publisher’s description for a Buttercup’s Baby section before buying, since not every edition is confirmed to include it.
- Do not expect a standalone, complete novel. None is established as published.
“
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →
