‘Gremlins’ Remake Could Finally Happen, Seth Grahame-Smith To Produce
Warner Bros. may finally be going forward with its plan to remake the classic 1984 film Gremlins.
Bloody Disgusting was first to break the news that the long-rumored remake was finally gaining steam, and that Dark Shadows writer Seth Grahame-Smith was being eyed to produce the film. There is no word yet on whether he will also be writing the script. Grahame-Smith would be working with David Katzenberg, his partner in Katzsmith Productions, with whom he created the MTV comedy The Hard Times of R.J Burger.
Grahame-Smith is also the author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The former was adapted into a feature film last year, the latter is currently in development with Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror) cast in a starring role. The film will be directed by Burr Steers (17 Again, Igby Goes Down).
The original Gremlins was directed by Joe Dante and followed a teenager named Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan), who is given a Mogwai named Gizmo as a Christmas present. Billy’s father, Randall (Hoyt Axton) is given three explicit instructions: never expose the Mogwai to bright light, never get it wet, and never, ever, EVER feed it after midnight. Billy accidentally breaks the second rule by spilling a glass of water on Gizmo, which causes him to multiply into five new creatures. One of them is named Stripe because of a white stripe of hair, and he acts as the leader.
Billy is tricked into feeding the Mogwai after midnight, although Gizmo refuses, and the five hatch into “gremlins,” reptilian creatures with sharp teeth and claws. With the help of his girlfriend, Kate Beringer (Phoebe Cates, a.k.a. Linda from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and Gizmo, Billy is able to defeat Stripe and the other gremlins. The owner of the shop where Randall bought Gizmo takes him away and says Billy may be ready to properly care for him someday.
The film spawned (no pun intended) a sequel in 1990, called Gremlins 2: The New Batch, but it wasn’t as successful as the original, despite many of the actors from the film reprising their roles, as well as the fact that it was intended to satirize sequels. Gremlins was also one of the films (the other being Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) to influence the MPAA to add the PG-13 rating.
Warner Bros. has yet to confirm the Gremlins remake, and so far, there is no word on who will star in or direct the film.
Will you be watching the Gremlins remake if or when it happens?
