Chris Columbus Confirms Gremlins Reboot Is in the Works

The Gremlins movie in development has been confirmed as a reboot.

There’s no rule in Hollywood saying they can’t dip into the old intellectual property well as often as they want. In fact, right now nostalgia, especially 80s nostalgia, is as popular as a Cabbage Patch Kid at Christmas. Some rules were made to be broken, and others must be followed. Rules like: keep it away from sunlight, don’t get it wet, and don’t feed it after midnight. 

The operative “it” being a gremlin.  

In a recent sit-down with Movieweb, original Gremlins screenwriter Chris Columbus confirmed that he’s working on a reboot. “[I’m] working on a script for Gremlins, a new Gremlins reboot that I feel, if there’s a reason to do it. Let’s do it,” he told the outlet. 

1984: The Year That Launched a Thousand Franchises

Gremlins, written by Columbus, directed by Joe Dante, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, was a massive hit in 1984, a year filled with massive hits. Just to name a few, moviegoers were introduced to Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, The Terminator, and The Karate Kid within the span of a few months. In fact, Gremlins and Ghostbusters premiered in US theaters on the same day. Even with the competition of those blockbusters, plus Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins was the fourth highest-grossing film of the year.

A screenshot from Gremlins – Warner Bros. Entertainment

In 1990 Gremlins 2: The New Batch came out, with Joe Dante returning to direct. Columbus, however, didn’t write the sequel, which was more of a parody of the first and not nearly as successful. 2013 saw renewed interested in a Gremlins reboot, with Vulture suggesting that it wasn’t the first time Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment had been approached with the idea.

Rumors picked up again in 2017 when Columbus told /Film that he had a complete script for Gremlins 3—a darker, practical-effects sequel in the spirit of the original. His plan at the time was not for a reboot, but a direct sequel that would answer fan questions. 

And then, nothing.

Gremlins in the Trades

Finally, in January of this year, Deadline quietly mentioned that Warner Brothers had a treatment for another Goonies movie and a script from Columbus for Gremlins. Though a third Gremlins movie was confirmed, just what form, direct sequel or reboot, it would take was still in question.

At the time, Games Radar believed the “new movie is meant to be a proper third installment, rather than a reboot.” But MovieWeb took a more cautious approach, saying, “it’s unclear if either Gremlins or The Goonies will be a sequel or a straight-up reboot, but like most movies these days, we predict that the end result will be a little bit of both.” Either path seemed viable.

Now that the project is inching closer to production, we seem to have our answer.

Legacy Sequels vs. Reboots vs. Gremlins

Except for Gremlins, just about every hit movie from 1984 has been revived in some way, shape, or form by now. Though the track record with reboots, sequels, spiritual sequels, or whathaveyou, have been hit and miss, according to Games Radar, original Gremlins star Zach Galligan believes the success last year’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a contributing factor in getting Gremlins greenlit. 

A screenshot from Gremlins – Warner Bros. Entertainment

Whether this trip back to the IP well proves refreshing, or creates a monster, remains to be seen. But with Columbus back to wrangle the gremlins in an apparent reboot may give fans hope. 

Are you tired of reboots? Or do you give this one a pass? Let us know in the comments!

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