At last, a new Gremlins teaser has arrived. Naturally, its first act of mischief is to move the release date.
Warner Bros has given us a fleeting glimpse of Gizmo peering out of a bag and announced that the next film is now due in cinemas on 6 October 2028, having previously occupied 19 November 2027. The little fellow looks remarkably fresh for somebody whose big-screen adventures began in 1984. We, on the other hand, have had time to develop opinions about lower-back support.
It’s a teaser in the strictest possible sense: a glimpse of fur, enormous ears and a date. Anybody claiming to have extracted the plot, the complete cast and the fate of civilisation from it has either extraordinary eyesight or a suspiciously productive imagination. We do know that Chris Columbus, who wrote the first Gremlins, is directing the new film. Steven Spielberg returns as executive producer. Joe Dante, director of the first two films, isn’t in the director’s chair this time.
That is a sizeable change of hands. Dante’s original was a Christmas present with teeth; Gremlins 2: The New Batch then took the rules, the monsters and possibly the studio’s patience into a skyscraper and shook them vigorously. Whether Columbus aims for small-town menace, corporate lunacy or a third flavour of Mogwai-related negligence remains under wraps.
The October date does, however, put the creatures rather closer to Halloween than Christmas. This is a scheduling observation, not a plot revelation. Perhaps the studio simply realised that waiting another year gives everyone enough time to remember the three instructions. Keep them away from bright light. Don’t get them wet. And if the cinema offers a midnight screening, for heaven’s sake don’t order the large popcorn for Gizmo.
Watch the brief teaser above. Then put the date somewhere dry.
Source: Warner Bros’ release-date announcement; Variety’s production update.
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