Original Gremlins writer Chris Columbus is returning to pen the script for Gremlins 3 almost three decades after Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which took the franchise in a more lighthearted direction.
In an interview with Slash Film, Columbus teased that the script would resemble the first movie’s twisted tone and deal with the issue of whether or not Gizmo should be eliminated. “I think it probably is a good idea to be honest with you. Too many people are dying.”
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“I’m really proud of the script,” Columbus said. “It is as twisted and dark as anything, so we’ll see. It’s always a budgetary conversation when we’re going to shoot it. I wanted to go back to the really twisted sensibility of the first movie. I found that was a very easy place for me to fall back into and start writing again so hopefully we’ll see that movie soon.”
The filmmaker also explained that the film would use “minimal CGI” in addition to its iconic puppetry. “CGI will enable us to remove wires and make the puppeteers lives a little easier,” he said. “It was brutal. It was like a marathon every night for those guys. In the bar scene alone there were 18 [or] 20 people behind the bar. No one had any space to move. It was just hellish for those guys so CGI will simplify that a little bit but it’s all puppets.”
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Columbus was not involved in the production of Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which took the franchise in a comedic direction. In December 2015, Gremlins star Zach Galligan has previously said that Columbus is aiming to undo some of what occurred in Gremlins 2.
At that time, Galligan was emphatic that Gremlins 3 would be a sequel as opposed to a reboot. Gremlins 3 is in development at Warner Bros. The film does not currently have a release date or casting information.