Earlier this year, Warner Bros. quietly confirmed that a new ‘Gremlins’ movie was in development. Now, thanks to a recent fan convention appearance from series star Zach Galligan, it seems ‘Gremlins 3’ is actually very close to becoming a reality.
Speaking to a packed crowd at Comic Con Manchester last week, Galligan revealed that a script is ready, and the project is essentially waiting on one man: Steven Spielberg.
“After 35 years, they’ve come up with a script. Warner Bros. is incredibly interested in doing it. Apparently, it’s waiting on Mr. Spielberg to read it and approve it.”
This shouldn’t come as a shock. With the massive box office success of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” another decades-later legacy sequel, studios are now even more bullish on returning to legacy sequels. Warner Bros., in particular, has been doubling down, there’s also talk of a “Goonies” sequel in the pipeline.
“Gremlins 3” has been in various stages of development for years. Columbus, who wrote the original 1984 film, has long been attached as writer and producer. In a 2017 interview, he described the new installment as a direct sequel—not a reboot—and teased a “twisted and dark script” co-written with Carl Ellsworth (“Disturbia,” “Red Eye”). Chris Columbus has also gone on record stating the gremlins will not be CGI but will instead return to the practical puppetry that defined the original films.
Now, with a script locked and Spielberg’s potential blessing as the last domino to fall, production could begin as early as 2026, aiming for a likely 2027 release.
No word yet on who might be directing the third instalment. While the great Joe Dante helmed the first two films, the man is 78 and hasn’t directed a feature in over 11 years. Last we checked up on him, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ reboot was in development limbo.