‘Gremlins 3’ Moves to October 2028

The Mogwai will stay out of theaters a little longer. Warner Bros. has moved the next Gremlins movie from November 19, 2027, to October 6, 2028, delaying the franchise’s big-screen return by nearly 11 months.

Chris Columbus, who wrote the 1984 original, is set to direct and produce the third film. Hannah Marks is working on the current screenplay draft, based on an earlier version by Columbus, Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein.

The creative team remains in place

The date change does not appear to signal a change in the announced leadership behind the movie. Steven Spielberg is returning as an executive producer alongside Eleanor Columbus, while Amblin Entertainment’s Kristie Macosko Krieger and Holly Bario are among the producers.

Warner Bros. has not revealed an official title, plot or cast. That leaves major questions unanswered, including whether familiar human characters will return and how the new film will connect to the first two theatrical installments.

A long road back to the big screen

The original Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante, mixed creature comedy with holiday horror and became a major commercial success in 1984. Its rules for caring for a Mogwai — keep it away from bright light, do not get it wet and never feed it after midnight — became a durable part of pop culture.

Dante returned for the more satirical Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990. The franchise later expanded through the animated prequel series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, but it has not produced another theatrical chapter in more than three decades.

The new October date places the sequel in a month that naturally suits its horror-comedy identity, although the studio has not explained the shift in those terms. For viewers, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the project remains on Warner Bros.’ calendar with Columbus directing, but its release is now scheduled for fall 2028 rather than the 2027 holiday season.