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A star from the first two Gremlins movies had a big reaction to news that the franchise will be revived for a third film. And he summed it up with one word. On Nov. 7, Variety confirmed that Gremlins 3 is officially in the works, with a planned release by Warner Bros. for November 2027. Steven Spielberg will executive produce Gremlins 3 alongside director/producer Chris Columbus. No details about the plot or cast have been announced. After the news broke, original star Zach Galligan reposted Variety’s story to Instagram with the caption, “35 years later…. BOOM.” Galligan, 61, also encouraged fans to comment below—and plenty of them did. “Not watching unless YOU’RE in it!” one fan wrote to the actor. “Please tell me you are in it! 🙏🏻,” another added. “Everyone better be leaving comments EVERYWHERE for [Zach Galligan] to be cast in this after everything he’s done for the franchise over the years,” another agreed. “Wonder if that means Phoebe Cates will come out of retirement,” another added of Galligan’s co-star in the first two films. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 The first Gremlins movie was released in 1984, and the second, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, in 1990. The Joe Dante/Steven Spielberg horror-comedy films starred Galligan and Fast Times at Ridgemont High alum Phoebe Cates as Billy and Kate, caretakers of a mysterious “mogwai” creature who multiplied into a gang of havoc-wreaking gremlins. Shortly after the second film, Cates, 62, retired from acting in the 1990s, except for a brief return for a friend’s project in 2001, according to Us Weekly. But Galligan had been vocal about the possibility of Gremlins 3 making it to screens three decades after the sequel, and he hinted at his possible involvement. “After 35 years, they’ve come up with a script,” Galligan teased at Manchester Comic Con earlier this year, per a video posted on Comic Book DB’s TikTok. “Warner Bros. is incredibly interested in doing it, apparently, it’s waiting on Mr. Spielberg to read it and approve it.” Galligan also posted a lengthy Instagram Live in July to share that someone who was “pretty knowledgeable” in the business told him that headway was being made on Gremlins 3. He added that the key would be to bring back the original cast members and producers. “The nostalgia factor will be so big that it will just carry the day,” Galligan said, noting that he was only given 12 weeks’ notice ahead of filming for Gremlins 2.
