Chris Columbus is responsible for directing not one, but several 90s gems capable of sparking nostalgia like few others, chief among them the first two Home Alone movies, as well as the unforgettable Mrs. Doubtfire. However, it was Columbus’ talent as a screenwriter that put him on the map when he came up with Gremlins the decade before that and he still has some love for the tiny little creatures.
The Gremlins are one of those icons primed for a 21st century comeback, and while HBO Max and Warner Bros. have been quick to pick up the property for their own animated take, Columbus has been talking about the possibility of a sequel to Gremlins 2: The New Batch since 2017, always voicing his desire to make it scarier than that last film was.
In a recent episode of Collider Connected, Columbus sat down to promote his new Netflix movie for the holidays The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two, and took the opportunity to address if the Gremlins 3 could ever get made by saying, “I would love to do it. I wrote a script, so there is an existing script”.
Columbus was not certain on when such a sequel could happen, noting how they’re “trying to figure out when the best time to make that film would be”, yet one thing he’s sure of is that any potential Gremlins 3 project would keep the puppet Gremlins of old and definitely go light on the CGI in order to stay true to the franchise.
There’s no denying a large part of the Gremlins’ charm lies in the use of actual puppets, so now that there’s no need to imagine what a CGI Gizmo would look like, Columbus’ remarks do beg the question of what could be done with today’s technology to carry over that vision. While it’s unclear if Columbus would direct Gremlins 3, he is certainly up to the task given his more recent success in carrying over the Harry Potter franchise in such a convincing manner for its first two films.
With Columbus already convinced on the idea and a script already on the table, it might just be a matter of time until Gremlins 3 gets made. Meanwhile, at least fans can rest assured that Columbus won’t let anyone butcher their beloved Gremlins the same way he doesn't want that for Home Alone.
Source: Collider