Even if you've never seen "Gremlins," there's a good chance you know about this hit 1984 movie. Most people know the rules for caring for the creatures in this movie: no bright lights, don't get them wet and never feed them after midnight. The influence of "Gremlins" goes beyond a memorable quote, though. Legendary post-rock band Mogwai is named after the film's iconic creatures, and the movie's violence helped spawn the PG-13 rating.
But after a less successful sequel, the franchise was largely put on ice. That's all changing, though, because after months of rumors and 41 years since the first movie, "Gremlins 3" is officially happening, and it's reuniting two legendary directors.
The news was announced during today's (Nov. 6) Warner Bros. Discovery third-quarter earnings call by company CEO David Zaslav (h/t The Hollywood Reporter). The WBD chief revealed the new movie is officially greenlit, and Chris Columbus, who wrote the 1984 classic, will be returning to produce and direct the new film. He'll also be joined by Steven Spielberg, whose company, Amblin Entertainment, is attached to the project.
While these two worked together on the 1984 "Gremlins," this will mark the first time in the franchise that one of these directors will sit in the director's chair. "Gremlins" was directed by Joe Dante, though it was written by Columbus. "Gremlins 2," meanwhile, brought Dante back but had Charles S. Haas leading the writer's room.
"Gremlins 3" is tentatively slated for a Nov. 19, 2027, release date, 37 years after "Gremlins 2" and 43 years after the original Gremlins movie that started it all.
Will 'Gremlins 3' acknowledge 'Gremlins 2'?
We don't know official story details about "Gremlins 3" yet, but I'll be curious to see if the film acknowledges "Gremlins 2." While that movie still builds upon the characters that Chris Columbus created, the "Gremlins" writer wasn't involved in the sequel, which saw Gizmo the mogwai transported to New York City.
That sequel was less successful than the original horror-comedy, but did eventually develop a cult following. So that will leave Columbus and Steven Spielberg with the tough decision of whether or not to ignore the second film or just pick things up after the first.
For his part, Columbus has dropped some breadcrumbs over the years about a potential third Gremlins movie. In 2017, he told Slash Film that the third movie could involve killing off the iconic mogwai, Gizmo, given that all mogwai seem to come from him and his offspring. "I think it probably is a good idea to be honest with you," Columbus told the outlet. "Too many people are dying."
"I'm really proud of the script," he continued. "It is as twisted and dark as anything, so we'll see. It's always a budgetary conversation when we're going to shoot it. I wanted to go back to the really twisted sensibility of the first movie. I found that was a very easy place for me to fall back into and start writing again so hopefully we'll see that movie soon."
Columbus also said there'd be minimal CGI in "Gremlins 3," something he's since doubled down on. I would still do it the same way," He told ComicBook in 2020. "I would do it as tangible puppets, not CGI. Maybe having — you know we had one stop-motion scene in the first Gremlins, but I don’t think I’d use much CGI in 'Gremlins 3.'”
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