‘Goosebumps’ Screenwriter Takes On the ‘Gremlins’ Remake

Amidst a hurricane of reboots, remakes, and decade-late sequels, Warner Bros.’ upcoming project falls perfectly in line with the new Hollywood standard, with the company announcing its intentions to remake the 1984 film Gremlins. As for the screenwriter, Carl Ellsworth (Disturbia, Red Eye) has signed on, with Chris Columbus producing and co-writing the characters. Steven Spielberg, who executive produced the original film, will serve as producer on the remake as well.

The original Gremlins was a cheeky comedy/horror film that brought dark holiday humor to 1984 audiences (though the film was actually released that summer). The story of course, is that of a teenage boy who receives an unusual pet for Christmas – a furry and lovable creature called a Mogwai – and discovers the dangerous consequences when he violates the 3 cardinal rules of Mogwai maintenance.

Joe Dante (Burying the Ex), the original film’s director, officially declined involvement with the remake, telling The Playlist:

I know a lot of very well known people have come up with ideas for another ‘Gremlins’ movie and none of them have gone. I do know, however, that there’s a script being written now and the tricky thing is that I’m not sure that the people making the movie now understand what the original appeal was of the first movie, which was not beloved by the studio until it started making money.

Ellsworth continues a career in mainstream adaptations with the new Gremlins reboot, having recently written a modern version of Goosebumps for the big screen. Warner Bros. is no stranger to remakes either, with distribution slate laden with sequels and reboots well into 2018 (see: Mad Max: Fury Road, Magic Mike XXL, Vacation, Point Break, Godzilla 2).

No word has been released regarding the updated plot of Gremlins, or the prospect of Warner Bros. leaning heavily on the comedy or horror aspects of the storyline. The only certainty is that those little green monsters will have new life breathed into them with an HD polish – whether audiences asked for it or not.