Gremlins 3 is finally happening with Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg on board
Best known these days for directing Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies, Chris Columbus was also the screenwriter behind two enduring ’80s classics: Gremlins and The Goonies, both of which were released by Warner Bros. and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Ten months ago, word leaked out that Warner Bros. is developing new Gremlins and The Goonies films, with Columbus involved. Nine months ago, it was announced that Potsy Ponciroli is writing The Goonies 2 (and he says the project is moving in the right direction), and now, Deadline reports that Gremlins 3 is also officially moving forward, with Chris Columbus producing and directing. Steven Spielberg will executive produce through his company Amblin Entertainment.
Deadline notes that Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav announced the greenlight of the new Gremlins film during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday.
Directed by Joe Dante from Columbus’s script, Gremlins had the following synopsis: A gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the `mogwai’ but his grandson sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or to feed him after midnight. All of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve. Released in 1984, Gremlins spawned a 1990 sequel called Gremlins 2: The New Batch… and the insanity of that one managed to bring the series to an end for a while. Several years ago, Columbus worked with Disturbia writer Carl Ellsworth on a Gremlins 3 script, but they couldn’t get that one into production. Instead, focus shifted over to an animated prequel series that can be found on the HBO Max streaming service.
A few months ago, Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch star Zach Galligan said, “They’ve come up with a script (for Gremlins 3). Warner Bros. is incredibly interested in doing it. Apparently, it’s waiting on Mr. Spielberg to read it and improve it, but, you can thank the success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” It sounds like the script has now been approved by Spielberg.
Are you glad to hear that Gremlins 3 is finally happening, with Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg bringing the creatures back to the screen? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
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