Written by Chris Snellgrove | Published
Today was a day many movie fans never thought would happen: we got an official announcement Gremlins 3 It was in production, along with the original Gremlins and Gremlins 2 Writer Chris Columbus returns as director.
As of now, there are no real details about the story, and fans can only speculate about where this sequel will take cinema’s terrifying creatures. But if you want an idea of just how weird this movie is, you’re in luck: perfect Gremlins 3 The presentation already exists, courtesy of Red Letter Media on YouTube.
The RLM boys gave their preview of the third film in their commentary track for the original film Gremlins film. There, they pitched the idea of having Daniel Klump from the second film (who was actually a stand-in for Donald Trump) be president and having protagonist Billy Peltzer be his official portrait painter.
They also thought it would be fun to see Gremlins pass bills in the House, but later decided that a movie about a real estate mogul in the White House while real monsters ran the country was a little too on the nose.
Hollywood is rebooting again
Eventually, Red Letter Media released A YouTube Video where they are Fierce Gremlins 3 As a parody of the soft franchise reboots favored by Hollywood, e.g Ghostbusters: Afterlife. In this proposed film, Warner Bros. Creating a soft reboot of the original film, a move that original Gremlins star Zach Galligan objects to. The film will be filled with plenty of vague nods to Hollywood and its reboot-obsessed executives whose lives are turned upside down when real gremlins end up attacking the group.
The RLM video is set up as a pitch session where the channel’s core trio (Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bowman, and Rich Evans) take turns contributing different ideas for the film. For example, they pitched the idea of Gizmo being a real-life creature owned by original director Joe Dante and for Galligan to bring the little guy on set to show the filmmakers how things are done. Unfortunately, the filmmakers are too obsessed with building bigger, nastier Gremlins, all thanks to an army of underpaid FX guys who are later thrilled when the real Gremlins start attacking the studio.
From creatures to cameos
Their proposed film will have some fun cameos, including original producer Steven Spielberg as a creator who’s only signed on there to attach his name to things. Corey Feldman will appear, but he’ll terrorize Zach Galligan by trying to incorporate his music into the film. While the first half of the film will be designed to mock modern Hollywood reboots, the second half will be devoted to the inevitable carnage caused by real Gremlins once they appear.
In an inspired twist, Red Letter Media suggested that the Gremlins reveal themselves during a scene in which the director attempts to get the fake Gremlins’ locations right by having the crew lift special effects sticks (which will later be replaced by CGI monsters) into place. In the end, the Gremlins replace the entire production crew, but their mayhem isn’t limited to one group. This leaves Zach Galligan to imitate his character from the second film as he does his best to contain these carnivorous creatures.
Parody within parody
Naturally, the creatures that launch into the Warner Bros. It will provide an excuse to do a lot of homages to other films, with the Gremlins appearing as familiar characters as Batman. Ultimately, a cynical producer believes he can still score a reboot because these little horrors are so much cheaper than syndicated talent. But when he sees the pure chaos unleashed by the Gremlins, he helps Galligan lure them all to the sound stage of a rerun of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, where they are hit by bright stage lights hot enough to melt them, ultimately ending the threat.
This could lead to an ambiguous ending, with the director telling Galligan: “You’re right, we’ll never do a reboot again!” But in a real twist, Stripe (Gremlin’s main antagonist) is still alive, dressed in a cheap Gizmo Halloween costume and wandering outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater. This leads to a cheeky final line (such as “Hey, it’s a living!”) and also serves as bait for a potential sequel.
Red Letter Media’s video is a lot of fun, and it showcases an insane reboot that I would be very happy to see in theaters. Only time will tell whether Gremlins 3 Director Chris Columbus would be able to channel the chaotic spirit of Joe Dante and pull off such a twisty film. Otherwise, Gremlins may join the growing list of franchises being brought back to life by Hollywood (A Nightmare on Elm Streetanyone?) and then crashes into the ground.
About the Author
