Zach Galligan, star of Joe Dante’s 1984 classic “Gremlins,” stirred the pot this week by dropping a few breadcrumbs about “Gremlins 3.” According to Galligan, Warner Bros. is essentially ready to roll—all they’re waiting on is Steven Spielberg’s green light.
Spielberg, who produced the original through Amblin Entertainment, still holds major sway over the franchise, and it seems nothing moves forward without his say-so.
Now, TheInSneider is reporting that the current script was penned by Chris Columbus, who also wrote the original and is now attached to direct the new installment as well. Too bad Dante, who helmed the first two, isn’t coming back—his imagination runs wild when it comes to this franchise.
What’s clear is that “Gremlins 3” is no longer just a pipe dream. In fact, sources tell me the project could be part of a larger upcoming slate announcement from Warner Bros., which is in the process of rebuilding and repositioning itself following its separation from Discovery Global.
This shouldn’t come as a shock. With the massive box office success of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” another decades-later follow-up, studios are now even more bullish on legacy sequels. Warner Bros., in particular, has been doubling down—their “Practical Magic” sequel is currently in production.
“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,” which was originally co-written at the time by Carl Ellsworth (“Disturbia,” “Red Eye”).
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.
As for Columbus, he was the director critics loved to hate in the ‘90s and early aughts. He directed a slew of highly successful films—“Home Alone,” “Home Alone 2,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and “Stepmom.”
Columbus last directed “The Christmas Chronicles” sequel for Netflix. His output over the last 20 years hasn’t been much to write home about, with titles like “Pixels,” “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” and “Rent.
His next film, “The Thursday Murder Club,” is heading straight to Netflix this fall.
So there's a script. That's something. It looks as though “The Movie Critic” really is dead and buried, and that this is a brand-new project, and title, but the premise is unknown.