35 Years After 'Gremlins 2' Warner Bros. Is Finally Ready to Add Water to the Franchise

Over forty years after they first horrified moviegoers, the Gremlins may be coming back. A new sequel to the 1984 horror comedy hit is in the works. Deadline reports that the film is one of a number of films Warner Bros. has in development amidst an executive shakeup.

Chris Columbus, who wrote the script to the original film before he directed blockbusters like Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and the first two Harry Potter movies, is said to be working on Gremlins 3. The original film was an enormous success in the summer of 1984, grossing $212 million USD on an $11 million budget; despite immediate demands for a sequel, Gremlins director Joe Dante had to be persuaded back with complete creative control. The result was the madcap, self-parodying Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which was a box office disappointment but has become a cult classic. Nevertheless, interest in the franchise remains healthy, and Columbus talked to Collider about Gremlins 3 back in 2020: "I wrote a script, so there is an existing script. We’re working out some rights issues right now, so we’re just trying to figure out when the best time to make that film would be. I would still do it the same way – 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."

What Is 'Gremlins' About?

Gremlins centers around Billy, a teenage boy (Zach Galligan) who receives an unusual Christmas gift from his father: a small, furry creature known as a Mogwai (voiced by Howie Mandel). The creature, which he names Gizmo, is cute, friendly, and intelligent, but comes with three important rules: don't expose it to bright light, don't feed it after midnight, and never get it wet. Naturally, all three of the rules end up broken; after getting wet, Gizmo spawns several unruly new Mogwai, and an ill-timed snack turns them into slimy, monstrous Gremlins. Pretty soon the whole town is overrun by Gremlins, who cause mechanical mayhem by sabotaging technology. Billy, Gizmo, and Billy's Christmas-averse girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates) may be the only people who can prevent the town from being completely destroyed. The New Batch saw Kate, Billy, and Gizmo reunite in a high-tech skyscraper, where a science lab spawns a chaotic new clutch of Gremlins.

The Gremlins franchise recently spawned an animated prequel series, which revealed how Gizmo first came into the possession of the shopkeeper Billy's father bought him from. The first half of its second season was released last fall on Max.

Gremlins 3 is reportedly still in development; no release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.