The Internet has been buzzing today with rumors that a third "Gremlins" movie is in the works, and that it will hit theaters as a 3-D release. The word comes from MarketSaw via an anonymous tipster. It's fair to point out that they do not always have the best track record with these sorts of unsourced stories. Still, "Gremlins" and its sequel, "Gremlins 2: The New Batch," are among my all-time favorite movies, so I'm understandably intrigued by the possibility of seeing the creative new ways our rascally gremlins find to break the three golden rules of Mogwai care: (1) no bright light, (2) no getting wet and (3) no eating after midnight.
I figure that there's no better person to ask about the possibility of more "Gremlins" than director Joe Dante, who helmed the originals. So I reached out for comment and, to my utter lack of surprise, he hasn't heard anything. "These things come up from time to time," he said. "I don't know of anything officially that's going on."
To be clear, this doesn't completely blow up what is still best classified as a "dubious rumor." It is entirely possible that Warner Bros. is still in the early development stages of such an idea. Or -- and this is admittedly not as strong a possibility -- the studio is moving forward on "Gremlins 3" without at least consulting Dante first. Speaking of which, we've reached out to Warner Bros. for comment and are currently waiting to hear back.
As for Dante, he indicated that, while he's open to returning to the series if the idea is right, the tone, he's also "not sitting by the phone." His last feature in wide release was "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" in 2003. There were a few scattered projects during the intervening years, but Dante made headlines in 2009 for a variety of projects, including the web series "Splatter" and 3-D horror flick "The Hole." A wide release date for the 3-D Award winner at last year's Venice Film Festival hasn't been announced yet, but audiences will hopefully get to see it this year as the fest buzz has been very positive.
For now, it looks like "Gremlins" fans can put away their hopes for a little bit longer. And ultimately, there's no development here beyond the story that appeared last summer, in which both Dante and "Gremlins" creator Chris Columbus told Empire that talk of a CGI-filled third movie had been thrown around, though as a reboot and not a sequel. We'll see... stay tuned to MTV Movies Blog for additional updates after we hear from WB.
Are you a fan of "Gremlins"? Can you imagine anyone other than Dante directing a third movie in the series, reboot or not? Do you think Dante would be game for a reboot?
** FOLLOW MTV MOVIES BLOG ON TWITTER! **