A new sequel to Gremlins is in the works, after the franchise lay dormant for many years. The original film, a sleeper hit in 1984, spawned a chaotic comedy sequel and, more recently, a prequel animated series. However, there’s one thing that will never happen to the franchise: a reboot. Star Zach Galligan recently discussed the situation at a panel at the Indiana Comic Convention.
While studios have been happy to reach into their libraries of intellectual property for a slew of remakes and reboots, Galligan, who played Billy in both Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch, isn’t the biggest fan of them and admits that he feels “a certain amount of ownership” towards the original film. While he doesn’t actually own the franchise, neither does Warner Bros, the studio that released it. That’s in the hands of Steven Spielberg, who produced the original film, and Chris Columbus, who wrote it. And according to Galligan, as long as those two are still around, you will never see a Gremlins reboot. He told the audience, where Collider’s Maggie Lovitt was in attendance at the Indiana Comic Convention:
“Mr. Spielberg owns it, Amblin owns it, and I believe Mr. Columbus also has some kind of ownership ability. At least, he has the ability to say no to a reboot, and he has said — and is involved in Gremlins 3, which certainly solidifies this — that as long as he is alive, there won’t be a Gremlins reboot, he has the right to say no.”
He also related Spielberg’s general antipathy to sequels and reboots, having eschewed seeing <em>Jaws 2</em> for decades because, “guys, we blew up the shark.” Galligan didn’t want to tar all remakes with the same brush, though, as he did note that he enjoyed Zack Snyder‘s <em>Dawn of the Dead</em>, which he said was “pretty good.”
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<A Physical fitness — I can run,I can swim,I can outlast something that relies on brute persistence.
<B Spatial awareness — I always know the exits,the hiding spots,the fastest route out.
<C Psychological resilience — I’ve faced my worst fears before.They don’t have the same power over me.
<D Emotional steadiness — I don’t panic.Panic is what gets you caught.
<E Scepticism — I don’t underestimate threats because of how they look.Size is irrelevant.
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<What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through?
<Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.
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<The unstoppable—something that will not stop,cannot be reasoned with,and is always getting closer.
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The film is currently in pre-production and will be filmed later this year; it is set to be released on November 27, 2027.
The original film grossed $212 million USD on an $11 million budget; its blend of black humor with holiday cheer and state-of-the-art animatronics proved successful at the box office but was deemed too violent by some viewers.
The sequel is currently in development; stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
