After decades of rumors and false starts, Warner Bros. is finally bringing back one of the most beloved creatures in horror-comedy history. “Gremlins 3” has officially been added to the studio’s release calendar, with the film set to arrive in theaters on November 19, 2027.
David Zaslav, CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, confirmed the news during Thursday’s investor call, marking the franchise’s return after a 37-year hiatus from the big screen. The announcement represents a major bet on nostalgia-driven IP for a studio riding an unprecedented wave of theatrical success.
The Dream Team Returns
Perhaps most exciting for fans: Steven Spielberg is returning as executive producer, while Chris Columbus—who wrote the original 1984 “Gremlins”—will direct and produce the third installment. It’s a homecoming that brings together the creative minds behind one of the 1980s’ most enduring pop culture phenomena.
Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein will pen the screenplay, though plot details remain tightly under wraps. Producing alongside Columbus are Kristie Macosko Krieger and Holly Bario for Amblin Entertainment, with 26th Street Pictures’ Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe also aboard. Warner Bros. has not yet disclosed casting information or whether any original cast members might return.
The involvement of Columbus as director feels particularly fitting. After launching his career by writing the original “Gremlins,” he went on to become one of Hollywood’s most successful commercial directors, helming the first two “Harry Potter” films, “Home Alone,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” His sensibility—mixing family-friendly warmth with darker edges—makes him an ideal choice to balance the franchise’s horror and heart.
A Franchise That Changed Hollywood
The original “Gremlins,” directed by Joe Dante from Columbus’s screenplay, arrived in theaters on June 8, 1984, and immediately became both a cultural phenomenon and a source of controversy. The film’s premise was deceptively simple: a boy named Billy receives an adorable, furry creature called a Mogwai as a pet, along with three crucial rules—never expose it to bright light, never get it wet, and never feed it after midnight.
When those rules inevitably break, chaos ensues. The cute Mogwai named Gizmo spawns a horde of malevolent gremlins who terrorize Billy’s small town during Christmas, leading to scenes of mayhem that pushed the boundaries of what audiences expected from a PG-rated film.
That controversy proved historically significant. Along with Spielberg’s own “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (released the same year), “Gremlins” famously prompted the creation of the PG-13 rating. Parents were shocked by the film’s violence and dark humor, despite its PG designation, leading the Motion Picture Association to introduce a middle ground between PG and R.
The film’s box office performance validated its cultural impact, earning $212 million worldwide—an impressive haul in 1984 dollars that would translate to well over $600 million today. “Gremlins” became synonymous with 1980s cinema, its blend of creature effects, dark comedy, and suburban satire capturing something essential about the era’s anxieties and excesses.
The Troubled Legacy of “Gremlins 2”
Success didn’t immediately translate to sequel triumph. “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” arrived in 1990 with Joe Dante returning to direct, but the film took a drastically different approach. Where the original balanced horror and comedy while maintaining genuine stakes, the sequel leaned heavily into meta-humor and cartoonish chaos, relocating the action from small-town America to a futuristic New York City skyscraper.
The tonal shift alienated some fans and confused general audiences, resulting in a disappointing $41 million domestic gross. However, “Gremlins 2” has since been reappraised as a cult classic, appreciated for its anarchic energy, satirical bite, and willingness to subvert audience expectations. Dante’s sequel now enjoys a devoted following that celebrates its deliberate absurdity and postmodern deconstruction of blockbuster sequels.
The financial underperformance, however, put the franchise into hibernation for decades. Various attempts to revive it stalled in development, including a proposed animated reboot that never materialized beyond concept stages.
Warner Bros.’ Theatrical Dominance
Zaslav’s announcement of “Gremlins 3” comes during a period of remarkable theatrical success for Warner Bros. The CEO boasted during the investor call about the studio’s “epic theatrical streak in 2025,” where seven consecutive releases opened above $40 million—an unprecedented achievement in modern Hollywood.
“We’re leading the 2025 box office domestically. We’re leading it internationally, and we’re leading it globally,” Zaslav declared. “Not only are we in first place, but we’re the only film studio to have crossed $4 billion in 2025 box office revenue thus far, and we’ve done it with a significant amount of original stories.”
The streak includes major hits like “A Minecraft Movie,” Oz Perkins’ “Sinners,” Zak Penn’s “Weapons,” and “The Conjuring: Last Rites.” Zaslav attributed the success to Warner Bros.’ diverse slate, ranging from kid-friendly fare like “Minecraft” and “Superman” to adult-oriented offerings like Brad Pitt’s “F1: The Movie” (distributed for Apple) and R-rated horror titles.
“In Q3 alone, we successfully launched a new era for the DC studios with ‘Superman,'” Zaslav noted. “We showed our exceptional horror genre expertise yet again with ‘Weapons’ and ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites,’ which have together grossed more than $750 million in ticket sales.”
Not everything has been a winner—Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” is tracking to lose $100 million against its $130 million budget, despite expected Oscar recognition. But Warner Bros.’ overall success has given the studio confidence to invest in legacy IP like “Gremlins.”
What to Expect from “Gremlins 3”
With no plot details revealed, speculation about “Gremlins 3” centers on several key questions:
Will it follow Billy Peltzer as an adult? Zach Galligan, who played Billy in the original films, is now in his sixties. A story following an older Billy dealing with a new gremlin outbreak could offer interesting generational commentary while maintaining franchise continuity.
How will practical effects blend with modern technology? The original films relied heavily on puppetry and animatronics to bring the gremlins to life. While CGI will likely play a role in 2027, maintaining the tactile, handcrafted feel of the creatures will be crucial to capturing the franchise’s spirit.
What tone will Columbus strike? Will he lean into the darker horror-comedy of the original, embrace the anarchic satire of the sequel, or chart a new course entirely? His track record suggests a balance that satisfies both nostalgia and contemporary sensibilities.
Can it recapture the Christmas magic? Both previous films were set during the holidays, making them perennial seasonal favorites. A November 2027 release suggests Warner Bros. is positioning “Gremlins 3” as a Thanksgiving weekend event, potentially leading into the Christmas season.
A Statement from Warner Bros.
Jesse Ehrman, president of development and production at Warner Bros. Pictures, expressed enthusiasm about the franchise’s revival in a prepared statement:
“Few titles are as beloved and iconic as ‘Gremlins,’ and we’re beyond excited to bring it back for both lifelong fans and a whole new generation. It’s a privilege to be working alongside Steven [Spielberg], Chris [Columbus], and the entire creative team, and we look forward to audiences experiencing the next installment of the magic, mayhem, and heart of Gremlins on the big screen in 2027.”
The emphasis on “magic, mayhem, and heart” suggests Warner Bros. understands what made the original special—not just the creature chaos, but the emotional core that grounded the fantastical premise.
The Long Wait Begins
With a November 2027 release date, fans face nearly three years before “Gremlins 3” arrives. That timeline allows for extensive pre-production, principal photography, and the complex post-production required for creature-heavy films.
It also means “Gremlins 3” will arrive during the franchise’s 43rd anniversary year, making this less a quick nostalgia cash-grab and more a carefully considered revival. The involvement of Spielberg and Columbus—both architects of the original’s success—suggests a commitment to honoring what made “Gremlins” special while finding something new to say.
For a franchise that helped define 1980s cinema and literally changed the movie rating system, the stakes for “Gremlins 3” extend beyond box office returns. Can it recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle magic that made audiences simultaneously terrified and delighted by tiny monsters wreaking havoc? Can it balance nostalgia with innovation, respecting the original while justifying its existence?
Those questions won’t be answered until November 2027. Until then, one rule remains absolute: whatever you do, don’t feed the gremlins after midnight. We’ve seen what happens when you break that rule, and we’re apparently eager to see it happen all over again.
