Jenna Ortega eyed for lead role in Gremlins 3
After many years of waiting, fans are finally getting a third
Gremlins movie next year.
Gremlins 3 is set to start filming this summer ahead of its theatrical release, which Warner Bros. has dated for Nov. 19, 2027.
As of now, casting information for the new sequel hasn't been officially announced, but one major name has entered the fray. Industry insider Daniel Richtman reports that
Wednesday star Jenna Ortega has been offered the lead role and is now in talks to potentially star in
Gremlins 3. For now, this report should be seen as a rumor without confirmation from the studio, though it does align with Ortega previously naming
Gremlins as the next iconic franchise she wants to be a part of.
Jenna Ortega Could Be the Star of Gremlins 3
"You know what I used to love as a kid?
Gremlins,"
Ortega told IMDb at South by Southwest (SXSW) last year. "
Gremlins, would love...
Gremlins 3?
4? I don't know. Call me!"
Ortega is already very well associated with revivals of major franchises. She is particularly well known for playing the titular role in Netflix's
Wednesday, a new take on
The Addams Family. She also appeared in two
Scream movies, becoming a major part of slasher movie history. In 2024, she partnered back up with Tim Burton as one of the stars of
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a legacy sequel to the 1988 original.
It was revealed last November that
Gremlins 3 had been officially greenlit with a release date set for late 2027. While there's still a lot about the third
Gremlins film that remains unclear, it's known that Steven Spielberg is returning to serve as an executive producer through his company, Amblin Entertainment. It was also reported that original
Gremlins writer
Chris Columbus would produce and direct the new sequel. Columbus is also co-writing the screenplay alongside Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein.
It's Unknown if Zach Gilligan Returns in Gremlins 3
Zach Galligan starred in the
original Gremlins movie from 1984 as Billy Peltzer, a teenager who's gifted Gizmo, a strange creature called a Mogwai from his father. He inadvertently breaks major Mogwai rules when Gizmo gets wet, spawning more Mogwai which transform into carnivorous Gremlins when they're fed after midnight. They start wrecking the town, and with Gizmo's help, Billy sets out to put a stop to the chaos.
1990's
Gremlins 2: The New Batch brought back Galligan as Billy, though the film's tone is much more comical than the original film. This time, Gremlins get loose in a New York City skyscraper and set out to conquer the entire building. The satirical sequel introduces Gremlins with unique, over-the-top personalities. While not as well received at the time as its predecessor, the film has since become a beloved cult classic for many franchise fans.
More recently, the story was expanded with HBO Max's miniseries,
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which started streaming in 2023. The series went far back in time, several decades before the events of
Gremlins, though it featured an animated version of Gizmo. A second season, dubbed
The Wild Batch, continued the story in 2025.
Gremlins 3 will be released in movie theaters on Nov. 19, 2027.
