Gremlins 3 Officially In The Works With Original Creators Returning

Warner Bros. is officially reviving the Gremlins franchise after decades on the shelf, with a new installment set for release on Nov. 19, 2027.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the news was announced by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav during the company's third-quarter earnings call. Zaslav confirmed that Steven Spielberg will return as executive producer through his company Amblin Entertainment, while Chris Columbus, who wrote the original 1984 film, is set to produce and direct the new movie.

The original Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante, introduced audiences to the adorable yet unpredictable Mogwai named Gizmo whose simple care rules of no bright light, no water, and no feeding after midnight, were inevitably broken by his owner Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), unleashing chaos in a small suburban town. The film became an instant hit, for its dark comedy and creature horror.

Its success spawned a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which hit theaters in 1990. While Dante returned to direct, the script was written by Charles S. Haas. The story takes Billy to a New York skyscraper to rescue Gizmo from a team of evil scientists. When water from a broken drinking fountain lands on his head, a batch of sinister Gremlins get to cause mayhem in an urban setting.

Plot details for the upcoming third film in the franchise remains unknown. In August, Columbus offered an update on Gremlins 3 staying that the lack of a good story was holding up production."There's a bunch of scripts for Gremlins," he said. "I mean, nothing has been approved. We're working on something, but we're always [working on something]. Gremlins is a never-ending writing assignment."

"We've been toying around with Gremlins ideas for 30-plus years," Columbus continued. "We just haven't cracked it yet. And Steven [Spielberg] and I don't want to do a film that's not great. There has to be a reason for doing it. It has to be more than just, 'Okay, we'll do great at the box office with the title.' It has to be something that the fans are proud of, something that we're proud of."

A Sequel To The Goonies Is Also In The Works

"So, we're very, very specific about making sure it's great," he explained. Columbus also revealed why he chose not return for Gremlins 2 in 1990. "I was of a mind that once I've said it, I've said it, there's no reason to do a sequel," he said. "So Steven and I could have worked on Gremlins 2, but I said, 'No, I've done that. I'm going to move on.' And I moved on to Goonies."

Directed by Richard Donner, "The Goonies follows a group of misfit kids who discover an old treasure map in their attic, leading them on a quest to find the legendary pirate One-Eyed Willy's treasure." In February, Potsy Ponciroli has signed on to write a sequel. However, plot details remain scarce. The search for a director is also ongoing.

Gremlins 3 will hit theaters worldwide on Nov. 19, 2027.