Gremlins actor Zach Galligan is confident Gremlins 3 is going to happen. Galligan starred in the original 1984 film as Billy Peltzer and returned for the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, in 1990. The sequel wasn’t as well-received as its predecessor, with some complaining about the film’s heavy use of satire and cartoonish tone. There have been talks about Gremlins 3 for decades, yet a third film has never materialized.
While there haven’t been many concrete developments, there have been multiple reports on Gremlins 3 in the last decade. In 2015, Galligan was adamant that the next Gremlins would be a sequel. He even said that the original film’s writer, Chris Columbus, would never do a remake or reboot because he wanted to undo some of the events that happened in Gremlins 2. A few years later, Columbus announced he had written a “twisted and dark” script that would “almost definitely” act as a reboot. At this point, it’s unknown if Gremlins 3 will actually happen, and Warner Bros. has yet to officially greenlight the sequel.
The fate of Gremlins 3 may be up in the air, but Galligan seems incredibly confident that the studio will move forward on the sequel. During a panel at Flashback Weekend in Chicago, Galligan recalled his experiences on the first two movies and briefly talked about the odds of Gremlins 3 happening. The actor pointed out that Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai has already been renewed for season 2 even though the first hasn’t premiered, which is one reason why he thinks Warner Bros. will eventually make the sequel. He also doesn’t see a reason why the studio wouldn’t capitalize on such a lucrative franchise.
Gremlins 3 may not be confirmed just yet, but Galligan makes a good point with Secrets of the Mogwai. Many new shows are not renewed past season 1 until networks can see how audiences react to the new series, but Warner Bros. is clearly confident it will do well. Part of that is likely because Gremlins is already an established franchise. Fans have been waiting to get more Gremlins content for years, so the series is highly anticipated even if it is just an animated TV show. That being said, it is possible that Warner Bros. will watch to see how the series performs before moving forward with another live-action movie.
Creating an animated TV show certainly has its challenges, but making a feature-length film is considerably riskier, especially given the state of the movie theater industry. Columbus has said in the past that Gremlins 3 will use practical effects over CGI for the Mogwai, which is probably the better decision but is also a big obstacle for the project. Regardless of what ends up happening with the Gremlins IP, Galligan seems more than willing to return. The star even reunited with Gizmo for a Gremlins-themed Mountain Dew commercial earlier in the year. A two-hour-long movie is of course more work than a 30-second commercial, but having the support of Galligan could be a crucial element of making Gremlins 3 a success if it happens.
Source: Flashback Weekend