- Warner Bros has confirmed a new Gremlins movie is in development
- Christopher Columbus is apparently on board with the project
- Last Gremlins movie was released in 1990
Hide your snacks if it is after midnight – a new Gremlins movie is in the works, Warner Bros has confirmed.
The horror-comedy movies – Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch – were hugely popular when they were released in 1984 and 1990 respectively and spawned a whole range of merchandise. They have since become cult classics and are regularly seen on TV and streaming services.
However, since Gremlins 2 was out, there have been no more films, just a prequel animated series, which lasted for two seasons.
New Gremlins movie
But now it appears we might finally get a new movie. A report by Deadline on Warner Bros Discovery’s upcoming projects, it mentions a new Gremlins from Christopher Columbus – but nothing else on it.
Gremlins was one of several franchises mentioned in hopes that are ‘down the road’, which indicates they are in the early stages of development.it also isn’t clear if Columbus is on board as a director or any other role. Likewise there is no indication of when a movie might make it to theaters – although if it is at an early stage, then it could be several years.
What was Gremlins about
Gremlins told the story of what happened when a teenage boy, Billy, receives a seemingly cute and innocent creature called a mogwai. When the mogwai is sold to Billy’s father, he is given three rules: do not expose the creature to light, do not let it come in contact with water and don’t let it eat after midnight.
Of course, the rules are broken. Firstly, the mogwai – named Gizmo – spawns more mogwai after having water spilt onto them. Then Billy is tricked into feeding them after midnight. They then form cocoons and soon hatch as destructive monsters named gremlins. They then wreak havoc on the local town leaving murder and destruction in their wake – and it is up to Billy and his girlfriend to save the town.
While the movie was popular, it was criticised for its more violent scenes and led to the creation of the PG-13 rating in the US.
Revisiting old franchises
There is a trend in Hollywood currently to revisit old movies and give them a sequel or reboot. For instance, last year’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which was released 35 years after the original film, was a big hit around the world.
Likewise in recent years, there has been the reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise, which has introduced a new generation of busters to take over from the original cast. Two movies have been made so far, and there could be more, according to the writer and director of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
