Chris Columbus has offered an update on the long-awaited Gremlins sequel, insisting he and Steven Spielberg will only move ahead if the script can match the magic of the 1984 original.
Speaking to The Standard as excitement grows around the franchise, Columbus, 66, admitted that he and Spielberg had been working on sequels to Gremlins and 1985’s The Goonies for 40 years.
“Stephen and I just feel that we don’t want to release a sequel or reboot unless it’s as good as or better than the films that preceded them,” he said. “We’re not in the business of making a film just because we know it’s going to do well at the box office.
“The problem is, as years go by people’s memories become stronger, so the nostalgic feeling grows. So, 40 years later, we have to be even better than if we’d made a sequel the following year. Hopefully I won’t be here in 10 years saying now we’ve been working on it for 50 years!”
Columbus — who has confirmed he is writing the script himself and whose directing credits include Mrs Doubtfire, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, as well as the first two Harry Potter films — is regarded as one of Hollywood’s most bankable filmmakers.
The original film followed teenager Billy, played by Zach Galligan, who is given a mysterious furry creature called a mogwai as a pet. When certain rules are broken, the cute critter spawns mischievous monsters who wreak havoc on his small town — a blend of horror, comedy and Christmas chaos that became a cult classic.
Columbus’s comments follow Galligan’s update at Comic-Con Manchester in July, where he revealed Warner Bros had a new script ready and was awaiting Spielberg’s approval. Galligan credited the success of 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice for helping reignite interest.
The mischievous mogwai have never fully disappeared from public view. Gizmo and Stripe have been revived in adverts for Mountain Dew and BT, made a cameo in The Lego Batman Movie (2017), and even starred in the animated prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which premiered on HBO Max in 2023. A second season, Gremlins: The Wild Batch, followed in two parts across late 2024 and spring 2025.
Since the release of the original festive creature feature and its 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, several cast members have sadly passed away — including Dick Miller, who played fan-favourite neighbour Murray Futterman, and Hoyt Axton, who played Billy’s dad Randall. Meanwhile, Phoebe Cates, who played Billy’s girlfriend Kate, has retired from acting. She stepped away from the screen in 1994 to focus on raising her children, though she briefly returned in 2001’s The Anniversary Party as a favour to her friend, actress and filmmaker Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Asked how he would approach the sequel in light of those changes, Columbus was clear that the mischievous monsters themselves remain the heart of the series. “Gremlins exists without actors, it’s about puppets,” he said. “For me it’s going be very difficult to work with puppets again after working with such great actors.”
And despite advances in technology, Columbus said fans can rest assured the mischievous mogwai won’t be CGI creations: “No, we would do practical puppets, yeah.”
He also reflected on how Spielberg first discovered the script. “In the early 80s I was renting a place in Manhattan and we had mice,” he recalled. “At night they’d wake me up, and I got this idea about small little creatures being terrifying, so I wrote the script on spec. Everyone rejected it — about 50 producers.
“But it was on top of a pile of scripts on Steven Spielberg’s assistant’s desk, and he just grabbed it on his way out. Five days later I get a call: ‘Steven Spielberg’s on the phone.’ I thought it was a joke. But he’d read it, loved it, and flew me out to Los Angeles. That changed everything.”
Beyond Gremlins and The Goonies, Columbus confirmed reports he is also producing a sequel to Jim Henson’s beloved 1986 fantasy Labyrinth, with The Northman director Robert Eggers set to take the helm.
He is currently promoting Netflix’s adaptation of Richard Osman’s best-selling novel The Thursday Murder Club, which follows four friends in a retirement community who solve cold cases for fun — until a real murder suddenly lands on their doorstep.
Released on Netflix on August 28, Columbus directed an all-star cast including Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie.
Columbus said he would “return in a second” to direct a sequel, though stressed it depends on how well the film is received when it goes to streaming. Osman has already published four books in the series, offering plenty of material for future instalments.
To mark the release, Netflix is partnering with the Royal Horticultural Society on a week-long series of immersive events from August 22–28. All five RHS gardens across the UK will host a Thursday Murder Club trail, including themed scavenger hunts, floral billboards and, at RHS Wisley, a tearoom takeover serving character-inspired treats such as Joyce’s lemon drizzle cake and Ron’s sausage rolls.
Where to take part:
- RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey
- RHS Garden Bridgewater, Greater Manchester
- RHS Garden Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire
- RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex
- RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon
Speaking at RHS Wisley alongside Imrie — who admitted she had never heard of Gremlins, to Columbus’ amusement — he praised The Thursday Murder Club’s immersive experience for offering the “excitement of a murder mystery with these beautiful surroundings.”
“We’ve set this sort of treasure hunt in what looks a lot like Cooper’s Chase, the setting of the film,” he said.
“The idea of a treasure hunt appeals so much to people from four to 94,” added Imrie.
Both agreed the film’s characters would certainly enjoy solving it themselves.
The Thursday Murder Club trail is included in the RHS Garden entry. Tickets for the gardens vary and can be purchased online or on-site; visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardens for details.
