Chris Columbus on his dark and twisted script for Gremlins 3

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

It's been close to thirty years since the release of GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, and fans have been wondering for years just when the destructive monsters would return. Zach Galligan, who played Billy Peltzer in both movies, indicated two years ago that the potential project would not be a remake, but a continuation along the same lines as JURASSIC WORLD or STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, meaning that it will likely feature new characters as well as old, but will respect what has come before. Chris Columbus recently spoke with /Film about the project and revealed that he's written a script for the sequel which he is very pleased with.

I’m really proud of the script. 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.

As Chris Columbus didn't have much to do with GREMLINS 2, which found the franchise taking a big step towards becoming a live-action cartoon, it's no surprise that he'd like to return to the slightly more serious tone of the first movie. I suppose that's either good news or bad news depending on which GREMLINS film is your favourite. Speaking for myself, there's plenty to love about both movies and it would be great if Columbus was able to find a way to successfully meld the slapstick violence of the sequel with something a little darker. Make those pesky, little bastards scary again.

One element which is likely to please everyone is that the Gremlins themselves will still be brought to life as pupppets, and not with CGI.

Oh, without a doubt, minimal CGI. CGI will enable us to remove wires and make the puppeteers lives a little easier. 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.

Although Chris Columbus seems hopeful that the long-awaited sequel will be getting underway soon, I'm not about to hold my breath. What do you folks think? Do we need another GREMLINS film or should the franchise be left alone?