So many classic 80s properties have been rebooted or relaunched over the past decade or so, but surprisingly we’ve yet to have another Gremlins movie since 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch. But it’s not for lack of trying. Original screenwriter Chris Columbus has been attempting to get Gremlins 3 off the ground for the longest time, but to date it’s yet to hit active development. But franchise icon Zach Galligan remains confident that it will happen someday.
During a panel at Flashback Weekend in Chicago (via ScreenRant), Galligan – who played Billy Peltzer, Gizmo’s owner, in the 1984’s Gremlins and its sequel – revealed that he’s sure a third movie will get underway in the near future. The actor said he doesn’t see a reason why Warner Bros. wouldn’t want to capitalize on a beloved franchise like this one. He also pointed out that upcoming animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai has already been handed a second season, before its first has even premiered. So that shows a certain faith in the popularity of the Gremlins brand.
Secrets of the Mogwai is a prequel to the original films that will explore how a young Mr. Wing (the elderly shopkeeper who sold Gizmo to the Peltzers) came to meet the adorable critter during his childhood in 1920s Shang-Hai. Galligan isn’t involved in the series, but he did recently reprise his role earlier this year in a Mountain Dew ad, which revealed that Billy now has a teen daughter with a Mogwai pet of her own.
Columbus has previously explained that he’s penned a script for the threequel that he describes as “twisted and dark” and would definitely still use puppets instead of CGI to bring Gizmo and the Gremlins to life. It’s possible that, at this point, Warner Bros. is just waiting to see how Secrets of the Mogwai does when it debuts on HBO Max sometime later this year before officially giving Gremlins 3 the greenlight.