‘Gremlins 3’ Gets Pushed Back Nearly a Year, but Fans Just Got Their First Real Look

Franchise revivals rarely come easy, and few have taken quite as long to materialize as this one. Fans have spent decades hoping for a legitimate continuation of a beloved 1980s horror-comedy series, watching rumor after rumor come and go without any concrete progress ever actually surfacing.

That changed when Warner Bros. finally confirmed the project was moving forward, only for the timeline to shift once again this week. Just as anticipation was building toward a late 2027 release, the studio delivered both disappointing scheduling news and a genuinely exciting consolation prize.

‘Gremlins 3’ has been delayed by nearly a year, moving from its previously announced November 19, 2027 release date to October 6, 2028, according to an announcement from Warner Bros. Along with the new date, the studio released a brief 11-second teaser showing Gizmo poking his head out from inside a backpack, quietly saying “Uh-oh.”

Chris Columbus, who wrote the original 1984 ‘Gremlins’ before going on to direct ‘Home Alone,’ the first two ‘Harry Potter’ films, and ‘Mrs. Doubtfire,’ is both directing and producing the new installment. Steven Spielberg is returning as executive producer through Amblin Entertainment, reuniting much of the creative lineage that made the original film such a cultural touchstone.

‘GREMLINS 3’ has been delayed by almost a year to October 6, 2028. • Chris Columbus is set to direct • Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein (‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’) are writing the script https://t.co/lPspEMLfzv

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 23, 2026

Hannah Marks is currently writing the script, working from an earlier draft penned by Columbus alongside Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the directing duo behind ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines.’ Kristie Macosko Krieger and Holly Bario are producing for Amblin, alongside Columbus’s own 26th Street Pictures banner with Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe.

Columbus has been vocal for years about how he envisions bringing the Mogwai and Gremlins back to life. Speaking to Collider back in 2020, he made clear his preference for keeping the franchise’s signature practical effects intact. “I would still do it the same way — I would do it as tangible puppets, not CGI,” he said at the time, a philosophy that appears to be carrying through into this current version of the project.

First teaser for ‘GREMLINS 3’. In theaters on October 6, 2028. https://t.co/Lr7A2Tq4br

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 23, 2026

That commitment to practical creature work explains part of why production hasn’t yet begun, with filming reportedly not starting until early 2027, leaving relatively little time between the start of shooting and the film’s original 2027 release window.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ president of development and production, Jesse Ehrman, welcomed the project’s revival when it was first announced. “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,” Ehrman said in a statement.

That sentiment underscores just how much weight this franchise still carries decades after its original release, even with original director Joe Dante, now 79, not returning to helm this next chapter.

As of now, Warner Bros. has not announced an official title for the film, nor has any cast been revealed. Story details also remain completely under wraps, meaning fans have little beyond this brief teaser and the confirmed creative team to speculate on for now.

Given that ‘Gremlins 3’ will mark the franchise’s first theatrical entry since 1990’s ‘Gremlins 2: The New Batch,’ anticipation is likely to keep building steadily over the next two years, even without concrete plot or casting details yet in hand.

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