Warner Bros. is officially bringing the Gremlins franchise back to the big screen, and this time, the mischievous Mogwai are in the hands of some very capable (and slightly chaotic) ones.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the directing duo behind this summer’s horror hit Final Destination: Bloodlines, have joined forces with Chris Columbus to co-write Gremlins 3. Columbus, who penned the 1984 original, is also set to direct the long-awaited sequel, which Warner Bros. has slated for November 19, 2027.
The project marks the first major revival of the beloved horror-comedy series since 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Columbus will produce alongside Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe under their 26th Street Pictures banner, with Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Holly Bario producing for Amblin Entertainment.
“I’m filled with a tremendous surge of inspiration and passion as I embark on this cinematic journey,” Columbus told THR. “It’s an honor to reunite with Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. as we bring this latest chapter of Gremlins to a brand-new generation of moviegoers.”
Warner Bros. president of development and production Jesse Ehrman added, “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.”
Lipovsky and Stein are no strangers to reviving dormant franchises. Their Final Destination reboot, released by New Line Cinema in May, grossed over $315 million worldwide on a $50 million budget — making it both the highest-earning and best-reviewed entry in the series’ history. Their success caught Warner Bros.’ attention, and the duo’s mix of dark humor and visual inventiveness made them a natural fit to help shape the next Gremlins chapter.
For both filmmakers, the gig is a childhood dream come true. Columbus, of course, not only wrote Gremlins but also The Goonies and went on to direct family classics like Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Lipovsky and Stein, meanwhile, are self-professed fans of 1980s genre filmmaking and are said to be eager to inject that same sense of mischievous fun into the new film.
The original Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante and executive produced by Spielberg, became an instant classic upon its summer 1984 debut alongside Ghostbusters. Its mix of creature chaos, sly humor, and Christmas horror cemented its place in pop culture, spawning one sequel and an animated spinoff (Gremlins: The Wild Batch) for Max in 2023.
Dante himself once told THR that the property was “too big for somebody not to make something,” and it looks like Columbus, Lipovsky, and Stein have finally figured out how to do it.
The little monsters are ready to raise hell once again, this time, for a whole new generation.
ALSO READ:
Stoic onboard as global sales partner for Moses the Black
