Everywhere we turn, a classic horror movie seems to be receiving an updated treatment, whether it’s a prequel, a sequel, a reboot, or a reimagining (don’t even get me started on the whole sub-category of requels, pre-boots, and whatever category Saw X falls under… pre-sequel?) While a 13th Friday the 13th film is on the way, and The Nun 2 marks the ninth film in The Conjuring Universe, horror fans such as myself have been waiting (im)patiently for the third Gremlins movie to end the trilogy. While some franchises should be left alone now (RIP Michael Myers), Gremlins desperately deserves a comeback.

Will Gremlins 3 ever happen?

Chris Columbus, the original Gremlins screenplay writer, told Collider in 2020, “I wrote a script [for Gremlins 3], so there is an existing script.” He shared his intentions to use “tangible puppets, not CGI.” However, since he went on to say: “We’re working out some rights issues right now,” it seems those rights issues have yet to be worked out.

Christoper Columbus wasn’t the only one with intentions for the film, as Carl Ellsworth, the screenplay writer responsible for films such as Unhinged, Red Eye, and The Last House on The Left, announced his attachment to Gremlins 3 years ago. Bloody Disgusting reported in 2020 that the film was to “[explore] more of the mythology and the history of the Gremlins.”

Bloody Disgusting also shared that Ellsworth’s goal was to encapsulate the scary spirit of the first film in lieu of the comedic zaniness of the second. The news fizzled out, and plans for the movie have seemingly dropped off the radar ever since.

A resurgence of hope was held by many that the new Max animated series Secrets of the Mogwai would do well enough to generate interest in Gremlins 3 once more. As the star of the Gremlins films, Zach Galligan, explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2021, if the show does well, Gremlins 3 will be “inevitable.”

The Digital Fix even went so far as to predict that Gremlins 3 will release in 2025 because of this series, though there are no official announcements to support this currently.

Given the stellar reviews and that season two of The Secrets of the Mogwai was renewed two years before the series ever premiered, there is a continued interest in the Mogwai. Only time will tell if Gremlins 3 will ever become a reality.

Though ScreenRant prophesizes that the show’s success means that Carl Ellsworth’s gory R-rated version will be less likely due to the Mogwai’s updated family-friendly image.

If nothing else, the animated series may fill the gremlin-sized hole in our hearts for now as we await one final film. Do your part in potentially making Gremlins 3 a reality by checking out Secrets of the Mogwai streaming on Max.