Is Another Gremlins Movie Happening?
The Gremlins creators have been talking about making a third movie for more than a decade, and it will probably happen... at least at some point.
They told us the rules, but did we listen? Hopefully not. Because if we get them wet or feed them after midnight, maybe another Gremlins movie will actually happen. It’s been 33 years since Gremlins 2, but we’re still hopeful that Hollywood will give us a Gremlins 3—and if the new animated Mogwai TV show being produced by Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante is any indication, it will only be a matter of time before that happens.
Chris Columbus (iconic children’s movie director responsible for the first two Harry Potter movies, the Home Alone franchise, and The Goonies) invented the twisted world of Gremlins, creating a creature that was adorable and cuddly, unless you broke the rules. The rules are simple: avoid bright light, don’t get them wet, and don’t feed them after midnight. However, if the rules were broken, the sweet little furballs turned into vicious little demons with nothing but chaos on their mind.
Columbus teamed up with Joe Dante, who directed Gremlins 1 and 2, and Steven Spielberg who executive produced both films, to bring the Mogwai creatures to life. And although Columbus didn’t write the second movie (that honor went to Charles S. Haas), the famed director has discussed the desire to make a third movie… someday.
Discussions for a Gremlins 3 have been thrown around for at least ten years, with Columbus even confirming that a script was completed in 2017. Boasting about how good the script was, Columbus said, “It is as twisted and dark as anything, so we’ll see.” He then explained that all he needed was funding for the movie.
Getting funding for another Gremlins movie doesn’t seem like it would be difficult, considering Columbus wants the new movie to have the same look and feel as the original, including using puppets instead of CGI for the little creatures. The original film was shot on a strict budget of $11 million and had the charming aesthetic of a grassroots production.
It also brought in an incredible $212.9 million at the box office, an impressive feat for a low-budget film.
However, perhaps getting funding for a Gremlins 3 proved to be more difficult than expected, because even though rumors of the movie have been through the mill for many years, nothing has actually happened. But, this could be due to the Gremlins animated prequel, Gremlins: The Secrets of the Mogwai, set to release next month.
The prequel series follows a young Sam Wing (the owner of the shop introduced in the first Gremlins) as he meets Gizmo the Mogwai in China. The series will explore the backstory of the Mogwai and is produced by Spielberg and Dante, though Columbus is not attached to the animated series. It’s possible that Warner Bros. Discovery is waiting to see how the animated series does before greenlighting a third Gremlins movie.
If Gremlins 3 ever does get greenlit, there’s still the question of whether it will be a sequel, continuing the original story more than 30 years later, or if it would be a complete reboot. Zach Galligan, the star of the first two Gremlins movies, once said that the studio would never reboot the franchise while Columbus was alive, out of respect for the director and a movie that is so close to his heart. However, Columbus himself countered this statement and said that a new move would absolutely be a reboot.
Whether Gremlins 3 ends up being a reboot, sequel, or something in between, we’re excited to see it happen, especially if the script for the new movie is as twisted as Columbus promises. Also, it sounds like the film would likely get the entire OG crew back together. Since Spielberg and Dante are involved with the prequel series, they’d likely be on board for a new movie as well, and Galligan has said in the past that he’d be willing to star, or at least make an appearance in another Gremlins movie.
So, while nothing is official yet, it seems as though the studios that be want to make another Gremlins movie, at least someday. And, if all goes well with the animated prequel series, a Gremlins 3 could be right around the corner. Even if it took almost 40 years to get here.
