‘Gremlins 3’ Confirmed without Joe Dante: Fans Sound Off

Warner Bros. has fired up the nostalgia machine and confirmed that Gremlins 3 is heading to theaters on November 19, 2027. With Steven Spielberg returning as executive producer and Chris Columbus stepping in to write and direct, the studio is banking on the magic that made the original Gremlins a hit in 1984 and its zany sequel in 1990. But the news is not without controversy. Fans took one look at the announcement and immediately noticed the glaring absence of Joe Dante, the director who turned those furry mogwai into box office monsters and left a blender full of memorable mayhem in his wake.

Social media wasted no time asking, “Where’s Joe Dante?” The frustration is easy to spot: “If you are chomping at the bit to watch a Gremlins 3 without Joe Dante at the helm, then you are the reason why studios keep throwing out nostalgia-bait,” one supporter opined. Dante himself has weighed in with characteristic frankness, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “That’s up to the audience. The fact is that it’s too big a property for somebody not to make something.” Dante has stayed connected to the franchise, serving as a consulting producer on the animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai—which critics say actually managed to capture the oddball spirit of the original without tipping too far into corny territory.

Another brewing debate is the look of the gremlins themselves. The original films relied on practical puppetry for their mix of horror and slapstick, a style that gave the franchise its oddball charm. Many fans are begging the filmmakers not to substitute rubber and latex monsters for soulless computer graphics, pleading online for “No CGI” and “minimal CGI please.” Chris Columbus, who wrote the first movie and will direct the new one, has suggested that he intends to stick with puppetry for most scenes, with just a touch of CGI to enhance practical effects.

Studio head David Zaslav broke the news during an investor call, positioning Gremlins 3 as a tentpole for Warner Bros.’ schedule, with additional writing support from Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, the team that delivered Final Destination: Bloodlines. The rest of the casting, along with details on the plot, remains under wraps. For now, the only thing more monstrous than the mogwai is the studio’s appetite for reboots, giving the chorus of skeptics and Dante die-hards plenty to chew on. Whether Columbus and Spielberg can summon the lightning in a bottle that Dante once delivered—or if this just turns into another round of Hollywood nostalgia wringing—remains to be seen.

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