Gremlins (franchise)

Warner Bros. media franchise

Gremlins

Official franchise logo

Created by| Chris Columbus
Original work| Gremlins (1984)
Owners| Warner Bros. Entertainment
Amblin Entertainment
Years| 1984–present
Films and television
Film(s)|

* Gremlins (1984)
* Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
* Gremlins 3 (2027)

Animated series| Gremlins (2023–present)
Games
Video game(s)| Gremlins (1984)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Lego Dimensions (2015)
Multiversus (2024)
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)| Warner Bros. Classics & Great Gremlins Adventure

Gremlins is an American comedy horror media franchise produced and owned by Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment. The franchise centers on a species of creatures known as mogwai (Cantonese: 魔怪, 'devil'), which evolve into the titular characters if the three rules regarding their care are violated; in particular, the franchise focuses on the conflict between the friendly Gizmo and the malicious Stripe (also known as Mohawk). The franchise began with the 1984 film of the same name, written by Chris Columbus and directed by Joe Dante; and continued with a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), also directed by Dante. The franchise also includes video games, an animated television series and related merchandise.

## Setting

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### Mogwai

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The mogwai are the central species of the franchise, based on eponymous creatures in Chinese folklore. Their volatility is such that whoever comes across one must adhere to three specific rules: A mogwai must not to be exposed to sunlight, which is lethal to the species; it must not come into contact with water, which triggers its multiplication ability; and most importantly, it must not be fed after midnight, which triggers its evolution into a Gremlin, adopting a more reptilian appearance than its mogwai form.

## Films

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Film  | Director  | Writer(s)  | Producer  | Composer  | Cinematographer  | Editor(s)  | Production company  | Distributor(s)  | Running time

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Gremlins (1984)  | Joe Dante | Chris Columbus | Michael Finnell | Jerry Goldsmith | John Hora | Tina Hirsch | Amblin Entertainment | Warner Bros. Pictures | 106 minutes
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)  | Charles S. Haas | Kent Beyda | Warner Bros. Pictures

### Gremlins (1984)

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Main article: Gremlins

Gremlins, released June 8, 1984, was directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and produced by Michael Finnell; and stars Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice of Gizmo.

### Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

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Main article: Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Gremlins 2: The New Batch, the sequel to Gremlins, was released on June 15, 1990. Like the first film, it was directed by Dante, with Charles S. Haas writing the screenplay. Galligan, Cates, Keye Luke and Dick Miller reprise their roles.

### Gremlins 3 (2027)

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In January 2013, Vulture reported that Warner Bros. was negotiating with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment to reboot the Gremlins franchise.[1] Seth Grahame-Smith was tapped to produce, alongside David Katzenberg.[2] However, Grahame-Smith has since stated that the project has been put on hold.[3] In November 2015, Zach Galligan confirmed that the third film will be a sequel and not a reboot.[4]

In a December 2016 interview with Bleeding Cool, Galligan said that Chris Columbus had been "aggressively working on a Gremlins 3", which had writer Carl Ellsworth on board. A 2017 interview with Columbus discussed his "twisted and dark" script which explored the idea that has been on the fans' minds for a long time: "If all the gremlins come from getting Gizmo wet and feeding his mogwai offspring after midnight, should Gizmo be eliminated?"[5] In November 2020, Columbus stated that CGI would not be used for the gremlins and that traditional puppets and animatronics would continue to be used.[6]

In January 2025, it was reported by Deadline that Warner Bros. was developing a third Gremlins movie written by Chris Columbus who also was writing a sequel to The Goonies. On April 11, 2025, a sequel was confirmed by Warner Bros.[7]

## Other media

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### Television series

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Main article: Gremlins (TV series)

The animated Gremlins series debuted with the launch of Max on May 23, 2023. Serving as a prequel to the films, the series focuses on the young Sam Wing and his adventures with Gizmo.

### Books

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Gremlins was adapted into a novelization by George Gipe, published by Avon Books in June 1984. The novel offered an origin for mogwai and gremlins as a prologue. Supposedly, mogwai were created as gentle, contemplative creatures by a scientist on an alien world. However, it was discovered their physiology was unstable. The result was only 1 in 10,000 mogwai would retain their sweet, loving demeanor. The rest would change into creatures the novel referred to as "mischievous". The minority mogwai (the 1 in 10,000) are immortal by human standards, though Gizmo explains to Stripe if he were to undergo the transformation himself, he would become like the others, "short lived and violent". This origin is unique to the novel but is referred to in the novelization of Gremlins 2 by David Bischoff. No definitive origin for mogwai or gremlins is given in either Gremlins film. The novelization contains a subplot that was cut from the original film, where the National Guard plans to neutralize the gremlins with fire hoses.[citation needed]

A comic book adaptation of Gremlins was published by Western Publishing in 1984.[8]

There were also children's books like Gremlins 2: The New Batch: Movie Storybook, by Michael Teitelbaum, published by Goldencraft in December 1990. Little Golden Books published Gremlins 2: The New Batch: Gizmo to the Rescue in July 1990.[9] In the United Kingdom, William Heinemann Ltd. had published two tie-in picture books from Buzz Books in August 1990 which contains photographs and scenes taken from the film. They were titled Don't Get Wet and Midnight Feast. David Bischoff wrote a novel based on the film published by Avon Books in June 1990. A unique aspect of the novel is how Bischoff adapts the sequence where the film breaks. In the novel, the Brain Gremlin subdues and locks Bischoff in his bathroom before taking the reins for a little bit to explain that the gremlins take over at this point in the film, his displeasure at Bischoff using the nickname "Mr. Glasses" instead of his official name and begins a treatise on politics before Bischoff breaks his way out of the bathroom with an axe and subdues the Brain Gremlin. The novel then continues where the film picked up after the film break.[10]

### Video games

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Main article: Gremlins (video game)

#### Action-oriented video games

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Several officially licensed video games based on the franchise have been produced. One of the first was Gremlins, released by Atari, Inc. for their 2600 console.

The Spanish company Topo Soft developed a side-scrolling Gremlins 2: The New Batch video game for Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, Amstrad CPC and the ZX Spectrum, distributed by Erbe Software in Spain and by Elite abroad, being the first time a Spanish video game company got an exclusive license from a Hollywood movie to make a videogame.[11] Hi Tech Expressions also released a DOS game at around the same time, but it was poorly received. Sunsoft released versions for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy in 1990.[12][13]

Atari, Inc. released a completely different[14] (and more technically advanced) game—also called Gremlins—for the Atari 5200 console and the Apple II, Commodore 64, and IBM PC compatible computers. Although the Atari 5200 version went to manufacturing in 1984, the turmoil surrounding Jack Tramiel's takeover of Atari's consumer business resulted in it not being released until 1986.[14]

In the 2000s, more games were released; Gremlins: Unleashed! was released on Game Boy Color in 2001. The game was about Gizmo trying to catch Stripe and thirty other gremlins, while the gremlins also try to turn Gizmo into a gremlin. Both Gizmo and Stripe are playable characters in the game.[15]

In 2011 NECA, published a Gremlins game for the Wii and Nintendo DS called Gremlins Gizmo. This was developed by Pipeworks Software and was released on November 18, 2011.[16]

A Gremlins Team Pack was released for Lego Dimensions on November 18, 2016. The pack includes minifigures of Gizmo and Stripe, a constructible polaroid camera and RC car, and grants access to an Adventure World and Battle Arena based on the film. Howie Mandel and Frank Welker reprise their respective roles as Gizmo and Stripe.[17][18] Gizmo and Stripe are playable characters in the platform fighter MultiVersus.[19][20]

#### Gremlins: The Adventure

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At the time of the film's release, an interactive fiction game based on scenes from the film, entitled Gremlins: The Adventure (1985), was released for various home computers, including the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum. The game was written by Brian Howarth for Adventure Soft and was text-based, with full-color illustrations on some formats.

### Theme park attractions

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Main article: Warner Bros. Classics & Great Gremlins Adventure

Warner Bros. Classics and The Great Gremlin Adventure was a dark ride located at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Australia, and Warner Bros. Movie World in Bottrop, Germany (now Movie Park Germany). On 3 June 1991, Warner Bros. Movie World opened to the public. One of its original attractions was Warner Bros. Classics and The Great Gremlin Adventure. A duplicate of the Australian attraction opened with Warner Bros. Movie World Germany (later renamed Movie Park Germany) on 30 June 1996. It was named Gremlin Invasion. The ride's soft-opening was on 29 June 1996. The ride has been replaced with the Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster and Van Helsing's Factory in the two parks respectively.

## References

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1. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (January 16, 2013). "Warner Bros. Looking to Breed Gremlins Again". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
2. ^ Miska, Brad (May 13, 2013). "Exclusive: 'Gremlins' Reboot Has Seth Grahame-Smith Snacking After Midnight!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
3. ^ Maidy, Alex (January 16, 2015). "Seth Grahame-Smith says the Gremlins reboot is in a holding pattern". JoBlo. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
4. ^ "Gremlins 3 won't be a remake or reboot". Den of Geek. November 27, 2015. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
5. ^ Fred Topel (August 15, 2017). "Exclusive: Gremlins 3 Has a 'Twisted and Dark' Screenplay Says Writer Chris Columbus". /Film. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
6. ^ Lovett, Jamie (November 23, 2020). "Gremlins 3 Writer Reveals Creatures Will Not Be CGI". Comicbook.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
7. ^ Squires, Jack (April 11, 2025). "Warner Bros. Confirms New 'Gremlins' Movie and 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Sequel". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
8. ^ "Gremlins". Key Collector Comics. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
9. ^ Gremlins 12" Roto-Cast Brain Action Figure by NECA, Amazon.com, URL accessed May 22, 2006; Gremlins 2: The New Batch: Movie Storybook (Hardcover) by Michael Teitelbaum, Amazon.com, URL accessed May 22, 2006; Gizmo To Rescue Look-Look Book (Gremlins 2 : the New Batch) (Paperback) by Jim Razzi, Gene Biggs, Kim Ellis (Illustrator) Amazon.com, URL accessed May 22, 2006.
10. ^ Fangoria. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch – MobyGames". Gremlins 2" & The New Batch of Merchandise. Fangoria. p. 1\. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2006. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch... Released 1990 Platforms Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum""
11. ^ "El Amiga me Encanta – Amiga World Nº11 – Noticias" (in Spanish). Encanta.avalonsoftware.org. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
12. ^ MobyGames. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch – MobyGames". MobyGames – A Game Documentation and Review Project. MobyGames. p. 1. Retrieved May 23, 2006. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch... Released 1990 Platforms Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum""
13. ^ MobyGames. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch for NES – MobyGames". MobyGames – A Game Documentation and Review Project. MobyGames. p. 1. Retrieved April 2, 2007. "Gremlins 2: The New Batch... Released 1990 Platform NES""
14. ^ a b "AtariProtos.com – All Your Protos Are Belong To Us!". atariprotos.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
15. ^ "Gremlins: Unleashed". gamefaqs.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
16. ^ Team, NECA (November 15, 2011). "NECA Announces Gremlins Gizmo for Wii, Nintendo DS". NECAOnline.com. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
17. ^ "LEGO Dimensions Expansions Trailer: Harry Potter, Goonies, Gremlins & more". Slashfilm.com. June 9, 2016. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
18. ^ "LEGO Dimensions Adds Fantastic Beasts, Adventue Time, Gremlins, Sonic & ET". Cosmic Book News. November 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
19. ^ "Gizmo officially announced, shown, and delayed for MultiVersus". September 2, 2022. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
20. ^ McWhertor, Michael (August 15, 2022). "MultiVersus' next fighters, Black Adam and Stripe, revealed". Polygon. VOX Media. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.

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Gremlins

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* Gremlins (1984)
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* Gremlins (1984)
* Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

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* MultiVersus

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