Franchise revival with modern effects

Warner Bros. has finally pressed go on “Gremlins 3,” setting a November 2027 theatrical release and promising a blend of practical puppetry and cutting-edge VFX to reintroduce the troublemaking creatures to a generation raised on streaming, studio officials told Variety on Friday. The project has circulated in development for years, with writers trying to find a tone that honors Joe Dante’s 1984 original without leaning too far into nostalgia. Executives now say the script locks Gizmo, Billy Peltzer’s family and a new, younger lead into a story about what happens when mogwai DNA is reverse-engineered by a tech conglomerate looking to sell “cute” bio-pets. By dating the film two years out, Warner Bros. gives itself space to finish creature work and position the title as a four-quadrant holiday play rather than a summer gamble.

Why the studio is doing this now

Insiders point to two reasons for the revival: audiences’ current appetite for comfort IP and the studio’s need for reliable non-superhero brands to space out its DC and MonsterVerse slates. “Gremlins 3” is being packaged with a broad merchandising push — plushes, game tie-ins and a kids’ animated short — aimed at holiday shoppers who still recognize the brand from cable reruns. The new film also gives Max another high-visibility franchise library drop ahead of year-end subscriber campaigns. If the 2027 outing hits family and nostalgia demos together, executives believe they can steer the property into occasional specials rather than committing to annual sequels, a softer approach that matches how studios are handling 1980s throwbacks today.