First 'Gremlins 3' Teaser Officially Brings Back an '80s Horror Legend

The 1980s were a great era for horror of all varieties. Slashers took off with the release of Friday the 13th at the beginning of the decade; legendary filmmakers delivered some of their best work, like John Carpenter's The Thing and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and the frights met the funnies in classics like Beetlejuice, Evil Dead 2, and Ghostbusters. In the latter camp, Joe Dante introduced a runaway success in the form of Gremlins, which taught everyone about the creatures known as the Mogwai and the all-important rules for their care. It grossed a staggering $212.9 million at the box office and turned the lovable Gizmo into a widely recognizable mascot. Despite that, it was only last year that the franchise finally officially announced a third installment, 36 years after its last theatrical outing.

Alas, despite the initial release window, the Gremlins won't make it back to the big screen in time for next Christmas after all. Warner Bros. has pushed the much-anticipated untitled Chris Columbus-directed sequel back nearly a full year from Nov. 19, 2027, to Oct. 6, 2028. It's not all bad news for the return of the rule-bound little furballs, though. Accompanying the new date, the studio unveiled the first official teaser that doesn't quite let the titular creature out of the bag, but does give them a tiny peek to tide fans over. It's a long-overdue return to live-action for the 80s horror icons after Dante's cult classic sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch took Gizmo and company into the 90s.

While the date changes to both Gremlins 3 and DC's puppet animation hybrid film Dynamic Duo take place in the shadow of Paramount's mega-merger with Warner Bros., neither move was shaped by it. Gremlins will now be released closer to Halloween, a decision made in part because of WB's past success in October with blockbusters like Joker. The series' horror roots make it a fitting choice too, even though Dante's original is more associated with Christmas. Whatever weekend the film debuted on, the Mogwai weren't set to face any Paramount-backed features.

'Gremlins 3' Reunites a Killer Team to Pour Water on the Franchise

While Dante isn't involved with the new film, Gremlins 3 has assembled a strong team to carry on his legacy. Columbus is a natural fit to take the director's chair, having penned the first installment that launched the Mogwai into horror history and building quite the resume behind the camera himself, including the first two Harry Potter films, Home Alone, and, more recently, The Thursday Murder Club. He's working with a draft by Hannah Marks​​​​​​​ based on a screenplay Columbus wrote with Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who became two of horror's hottest commodities after they revived another macabre franchise with the smash hit Final Destination: Bloodlines. Steven Spielberg is also back as an executive producer through his Amblin Entertainment banner, keeping intact most of the key players that made magic the first time around.

Gremlins 3 is now set to premiere on October 6, 2028. Check out the teaser in the player above.