It’s been unclear where exactly the Gremlins film franchise will be headed after all these years. While there is an animated series titled Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai in development – it’s unknown if there are any plans for future movies. Nevertheless, original Gremlins writer Chris Columbus has revealed that he has written a script for a potential Gremlins 3. While there isn’t much else to say on that front, it is nice to know that a script for the project exists.
Here’s what Chris Columbus specifically stated while speaking with Collider:
“I would love to do it. I wrote a script, so there is an existing script. We’re working out some rights issues right now, so we’re just trying to figure out when the best time to make that film would be. I would still do it the same way – I would do it as tangible puppets, not CGI. Maybe having — you know we had one stop-motion scene in the first Gremlins, but I don’t think I’d use much CGI in Gremlins 3.”
Aside from knowing that there is an official script, it’s also nice to know that Chris Columbus would want to keep the CGI to a minimum. After all, Gremlins and its sequel are both often best remembered for their beautiful use of practical effects. It would be a shame to see that disregarded just because CGI is easier to use these days.
Unfortunately, like many properties these days, it looks like rights issues are the main reason this attempt at Gremlins 3 hasn’t gotten off the ground. There isn’t much information given about that particular situation, but one can hope that it will be easier to settle than let’s say the Friday the 13th legal debacle. In any case, fans should still have Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai to look forward to – so the franchise is still coming back one way or another.