“Where is Greta?” Photo: Warner Bros./Everett Collection
Disney can have Baby Yoda; Warner Bros. has the OG little guys with big ears. Gremlins 3 is on the way, CEO and Road Runner enemy David Zaslav revealed on his November 6 earnings call. Steven Spielberg will return to the franchise as producer, per The Hollywood Reporter. Chris Columbus, who wrote the first Gremlins film, returns to produce and direct as well as co-write with Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who directed 2025’s successful Final Destination reboot. Gr3mlins will be out in theaters on November 19, 2027.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch was released in 1990, 35 years ago. While the 1984 original was a massive hit — earning $212 million on just an $11 million budget — The New Batch is a cult-classic bomb. It cost more than the first, with a reported budget of $50 million, and was significantly less successful, earning just over $40 million, per Consequence of Sound. As such, the Gremlins have not been let out of their cage until now.
It’s not the first time a Gremlins reboot has been attempted, however. WB reportedly “fast tracked” a third film in the franchise back in 2015 — but it never happened. Columbus believed it would “impossible to revisit in a CGI environment.” “Those are edgy Muppets in a sense and you don’t want to lose that sense of anarchy that those gremlins had, because behind the scenes are 25 puppeteers making them come to life,” he said to Coming Soon in 2010. There is no confirmation yet on how the modern Gremlins will be created, but given Columbus’s involvement, there’s hope the film returns to puppeteers. How else can they re-create the beauty of Greta, the sexy-girl Gremlin introduced in the sequel? The people (namely Jade Thirlwall) demand more Greta.
After nearly a year of rumors that a script for a hypothetical third Gremlins movie was in the works, it’s now official: Gremlins 3 is happening, and it’s coming a bit sooner than you might expect.
During an investors call this morning, Warner Bros. Discovery president David Zaslav confirmed that Gremlins 3 has been added to the studio’s release schedule and is currently eyeing a November 19, 2027, release. No further plot details were revealed, but Steven Spielberg will return to executive produce the film, which will be helmed by Chris Columbus.
The Hollywood Reporter further reports that Final Destination: Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein will work to write the script for Columbus, who of course has a long history with the franchise behind the camera, having written the original 1984 horror-comedy classic.
It’s been 35 years since the Gremlins have been on the big screen, with the follow-up sequel, The New Batch, directed by original director Joe Dante, leaning away from the first film’s more horror-focused roots and into the comedy, including plenty of pastiche and homage (and even drawing upon its predecessor for a gag or two). Time will tell just what shape Gremlins 3 will take, but with Columbus back behind the scenes in a major way, it wouldn’t be too surprising to expect something more similar to the original film, rather than its cult-classically-admired sequel.
We’ll find out more as we get closer to Gremlins 3‘s currently expected November 19, 2027 release date.
Joe Dante is a bit surprised that his movie The ‘Burbs is getting the series-remake treatment.
Dante recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter to promote the Max animated series Gremlins: The Wild Batch returning this week for its second season. Dante directed the 1984 feature Gremlins and its 1990 sequel, and he serves as consulting producer on the prequel show.
The filmmaker also helmed the 1989 dark comedy The ‘Burbs, which starred Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher in the story of a family man who becomes convinced that his new neighbors are hiding a spooky secret. The movie received renewed attention with the news last month that Keke Palmer is set to star in a series version for Peacock from executive producers Brian Grazer and Seth MacFarlane.
Dante took to X (formerly Twitter) at the time of the series announcement with the message, “Call me maybe,” in response to a post about the news.
When asked how he feels about the remake, Dante tells THR with a laugh, “I think my actual comment was, ‘How are they going to make a whole TV series out of that story?’ As opposed to, ‘I want to be the one to do it.’”
He continues, “Good luck to them. It’s kind a one-off story.”
Dante confirms that he has not been contacted by the series’ team about being involved. As for how he feels about his film from 35 years ago spawning a new project, Dante says, “It’s always nice when things have a shelf life.”
During the conversation about Gremlins: The Wild Bunch, Dante also discussed the chances for a third Gremlins movie. “That’s up to the audience,” he said about the possibility of another film. “The fact is that it’s too big a property for somebody not to make something.”
The filmmaker added, “But it’s been difficult for people to wrap their heads around, ‘Exactly how are we going to do this?’ This series is a brilliant answer to that problem because it’s a prequel, and it’s animated, and it’s the perfect next step in the Gremlins saga.”
We are entering the month of festivities, where kids seek candies and monsters search for the little ones’ screams. While you are decorating your house in the best way possible to stand out in your neighborhood and be called the best scarer, you might be looking out for movies that will have your kids scared. However, not so terrified that they avoid sleeping alone. Here are the 10 best Halloween movies for kids that you can enjoy with your whole family.
Top 10 Best Halloween Movies for kids
Monster House
July 21, 2006
This is a story of love and sacrifice. While Monster House is one of the best Halloween movies for kids, it still teaches them a lot about adulthood and makes them stronger for a better future.
Monster House depicts a real adventure, a tight bond of friendship, and classic animation. Why is it called the Monster House, you may ask? It is because it haunts a trio in the neighborhood and hunts the trick-or-treaters.
Hotel Transylvania
September 28, 2012
If you are scared of the famous king of monsters, Count Dracula, this movie will surely take you on a blissful ride. Here, Dracula is shown protecting his only family member, his daughter, Mavis. From whom? Well, it is us, the humans.
In this comedy movie, Count Dracula is voiced by Adam Sandler, while Selena Gomez voices his daughter Mavis.
While the lead in the film is finally happy with his hotel for monsters, a human traveler drops by right during Mavis’ birthday party. Soon, a cat and mouse chase begins, which will have you hooked until the very end of the film.
The Haunted Mansion
November 26, 2003
Eddie Murphy is the lead in this epic and legendary film based on the famed scary Disney World attraction. Murphy, who is shown to be a realtor, struggles as his family gets stuck in the haunted Gracey Manor.
This is again a movie filled with adventures, ghosts, and a powerful psychic. While this may not be as funny as the others in this list, it surely is one of the classic Halloween movies.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
October 29, 1993
This is pure epic. A stop motion entry, The Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, who discovers a new world that enjoys the holiday of Christmas.
It is a tale of Skellington who simply wants to bring that same joy of Christmas to his own people. While he tries to achieve this plan, he has to face a lot of struggles and unexpected twists in the film.
Coraline
February 6, 2009
Well, we would like to warn you about this movie, as Coraline is not the kind of family Halloween movie where you can think of having a fun time. It is a tale of a kid who thinks that her mom and dad are too busy to spend some quality time with her.
In the events of this film, Coraline finds a secret door to a realm where she meets the “other mother,” who promises all the things that Coraline wants.
However, it all comes with a twist and a catch. Do watch the stop-motion animation from Henry Selick that gives an even scarier feeling to the project.
Monsters, Inc.
November 2, 2001
Imagine a scary creature entering your world. That’s what this movie is all about. However, here, the world is of monsters, and instead of an alien or any unknown entity terrorizing a whole huge city, it is just a simple kid.
Monsters, Inc. is surely the best Halloween movie for kids. With a lot of comedy scenes, there is an adventure and a lot of affection that will surely even make the adults cry.
Scooby-Doo
June 8, 2002
Who doesn’t know the scary tales of Scooby Doo? Well, this happens to be a live-action flick where all the characters meet for an adventure. Watch the Mystery Inc with their fellow and beloved dog Scooby.
There are a lot of surprises as usual, as this time the whole gang is visiting Spooky Island, which happens to be a spring break spot, filled with many suspicious things.
Gremlins
June 8, 1984
While they may seem cute, you should be scared of them. This is yet another classic Halloween movie that can be enjoyed with your family. However, be prepared to have the most terrifying experience of your life.
You can also watch its sequel, Gremlin 2, to have a bit more fun than just being scared.
Ghostbusters
June 8, 1984
A beloved favorite, Ghostbusters explores the theme of confronting your fears rather than just being frightened by them. The film features an impressive cast of talented actors, including Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Rick Moranis, Dan Aykroyd, and Sigourney Weaver, among others.
It’s one of the top family-friendly Halloween films that makes you want to call these ghost-busting heroes whenever you’re feeling scared.
Goosebumps
October 16, 2015
Last but not least, this Halloween movie for kids is filled with not only one epic tale but a lot of mind-blowing plot twists within itself.
From the stories of RL Stine, this film talks about a doll taking revenge on his creator. The cast, again, is a blessing, with Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, and more.
Hollywood’s been trying for years now to revive Little Shop of Horrorsfor a new cinematic audience. Last we heard, Arrowverse head Greg Berlanti was going to try his hand at it with Billy Porter and maybe Chris Evans. That version ultimately got scrapped in 2022, but Hollywood’s angling to try and grow a new version of the beloved film yet again.
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As reported by Deadline, the horror-comedy film is being rebooted, with Gremlins director Joe Dante at the helm and Roger Corman (who directed the original 1960 film) on hand as a co-producer. The twist? It’s a reimagining dubbed Little Shop of Halloween Horrors that’s also being intended as the kickstart to a new movie franchise. Dante will be working off a script written by Charles S. Haas (Gremlins 2).
The original Little Shop of Horrors, and its more popular 1986 musical, centered on a florist named Seymour who discovers a Venus flytrap-looking plant he eventually names Audrey Jr. (or Audrey II in the musical). The plant manages to convince Seymour to keep feeding it people, and things quickly spiral out of control from there. At time of writing, it sounds like that’ll still be the general premise of this new movie, give or take some Halloween-specific plot elements. What’s not clear is if it’ll play as a straight horror-comedy like the original or do like the 1986 movie and take the musical route.
Until the new version comes out, you can watch the previous Little Shop of Horrors movies on services like Prime Video. And if you’ve got Max, you can watch the “Little Rock of Horrors” episode of Billy & Mandy. It’s short, but it’s still pretty great!
