Gremlins 3 Just Got a Major Update (Could It Actually Happen?)

When Gremlins 2: The New Batch hit theaters back in 1990, not only was it far less of a moneymaker than the original, but it was an outright disappointment. Right then and there it seemed as though a Gremlins 3 was totally out of the question. And, for 35 years, the prospect of a third Gremlins film has only grown to seem more and more like a pipe dream. But we’re living in an age where legacy sequels are doing well. For instance, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a slam dunk last year and Happy Gilmore 2 just proved to be a big hit for Netflix.

And now we’ve gotten the most encouraging news yet that Gremlins 3 could go from longshot pipe dream to stone-cold reality. The update comes from none other than Billy Peltzer himself, Zach Galligan.

At Comic Con Manchester, Galligan revealed that studio Warner Bros. (which distributed the first two films) was “incredibly interested” in a third Gremlins. Naturally, that in and of itself is great news.

But the actor went on to reveal just where the project is at the moment. In his words, “After 35 years, they’ve come up with a script” and “apparently it’s waiting on Mr. Spielberg to read it and approve it.” Why the sudden forward momentum on Gremlins 3? According to Galligan, the aforementioned success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is to thank.

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There’s been talking surrounding this particular legacy sequel intermittently throughout the year, but this news is especially exciting. Up until now we’ve just known that a script was being worked on. That doesn’t always mean so much. Plenty of scripts, even for big projects, go through more writers than you can shake a stick at and ultimately end up going nowhere.

But this script is either complete or on the verge of completion. It’s far enough along that it’s ended up on Spielberg’s desk. For a project that has been subject to the rumor mill for over a decade now, it finally seems as though the gears are turning.

So, who will be returning? Galligan, of course, seems like a lock. That leaves two big question marks around director Joe Dante and Galligan’s co-lead, Phoebe Cates.

Dante is not retired, but he hasn’t helmed a film since 2014’s Burying the Ex. Gremlins was the biggest hit of the Piranha and The Howling director’s career, so one assumes that if given the opportunity to helm the legacy sequel, he would helm the legacy sequel.

Cates, however, is retired. That said, while her last film was 2001’s The Anniversary Party, she did exit retirement to voice her Gremlins character Kate Beringer in the video game Lego Dimensions. So, clearly, the character and IP means a lot to her. Who’s to say she won’t come back once more? After all, if Billy is going to be there, Kate should be as well.

Regardless of who comes back, just what shape will Gremlins 3 take? Will it be horror-focused like the original or will it be a live-action Looney Tunes episode like its cult classic sequel? Either way, we’re excited.