Let’s cue the festive chaos, crack open the neon green soda, and brace for mayhem, because the gremlins are back. Yes, you read that right. The beloved (and terrifying) franchise that taught us three unbreakable rules like, don’t get Gizmo wet, don’t expose him to bright light and under no circumstances feed him after midnight, is next in line for a cinematic resurrection.
Gremlins 3 isn’t one of those “studio might be thinking about maybe having a lunch meeting to discuss a reboot” rumours. This is real. Variety reports that Gremlins 3 will be released in November 2027, with Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter movies, set to direct and produce the movie. Warner Bros. has officially confirmed that the third movie is happening, and the original creative forces that gave birth to this wild, furry, chaos-loving cinematic species are returning.
For anyone who grew up quoting lines from the original movie or who still has an irrational fear of kitchen appliances (thank you, Gremlin in the blender), the name Chris Columbus is practically sacred. He wrote the original Gremlins in 1984, that perfect blend of suburban sweetness and absolute creature-feature bedlam. Now, he’s returning to the franchise to write the third film, picking up the thread he started all those decades ago, a thread that’s been quietly waiting to be tugged again.
And Columbus isn’t just dabbling. In recent years, he’s hinted that his approach to the third film is far more grounded and emotionally serious than the second movie’s anarchic cartoon-like tone. His intention is to return to the darker, eerier, more mysterious tone of the original. Think less Gremlins 2’s Broadway fever dream, and more the unsettling Christmas-horror-story energy that grabbed the world’s attention in the first place.
And yes, Columbus still wants practical puppets, not CGI blobs with marshmallow skin. Gizmo returning in hand-built, intricately mechanised mogwai form? Cinema just started to taste delicious again. And Guess Who’s Back Watching Over Everything? It’s none other than, Steven Spielberg.This is where the heart of the franchise sits. Spielberg has always been the soul and spiritual backbone of Gremlins. The original film was born out of that Amblin golden era. The era of E.T., The Goonies, Poltergeist, where childhood was magical, dangerous, exciting and just a little too real. Spielberg returning as executive producer means one very important thing, This movie is being handled with care. Not “let’s do this to capitalise on nostalgia” energy.
More like: “We know exactly what this meant to people, and we’re not playing games with it.” Spielberg’s presence means legacy, tone and feeling matters.
Chris Columbus has even spoken openly about the moral centre of the story, specifically surrounding Gizmo himself. The question that has haunted the fandom for decades: If Gizmo is the source of gremlin outbreaks, does protecting him actually put the entire world at risk? Columbus wants this film to confront that emotionally. And honestly? That’s the kind of storytelling that hits much harder when you’re no longer seven years old.
Gremlins wasn’t just comedic chaos or holiday horror. It meant something. It was whimsy with teeth.
Magic with shadows. Warmth with claws just beneath the surface. And now? The team that built that balance is coming back.
The original mogwai magic is stepping back into the present, with time, experience and the original creators guiding it. We don’t know the exact release date yet, we don’t know the cast, and we don’t know the full story, but what we do know is that this isn’t just a studio exercise. This is something real fans have been waiting for and the people who made Gremlins iconic are treating it like it matters.
So yeah — I’ll say it again:
Don’t get them wet.
Don’t expose them to bright light.
And absolutely do not feed them after midnight.
Because when Gremlins return… they return with chaos.
