Jenna Ortega Reveals Her Desire to Star in a Gremlins Movie

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Actress Jenna Ortega, known for her roles in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Wednesday,” and both installments of “Scream” (2022), has expressed her desire to join another iconic horror franchise. In an interview with IMDb at the premiere of her new movie, “Death of a Unicorn,” she voiced her dream to work alongside the Mogwais from the classic ’80s horror series, “Gremlins.” With 35 years passing since the last appearance of these mischievous creatures on the big screen, there’s been no official announcement yet about a feature film revival.

In a video interview, when asked about a mythical creature from her past she’d like to see revived, actress Ortega picked the mischievous creatures from the Gremlins series. Although they might not handle bright lights well, she expressed her desire and possibly even suggested necessity to be involved in a new Gremlins film. With a grin, she reminisced about her childhood affection for the creatures, saying, “I used to love Gremlins,” before adding that she’d “love” and maybe “should” feature in a third or fourth installment of the franchise. Directing her gaze straight at the camera, she finished by saying, “Give me a call.

Joe Dante’s horror-comedy masterpiece, “Gremlins,” is often hailed as one of the most influential films of the ’80s. This iconic movie sparked a franchise that included sequels, TV series, video games, and numerous merchandise items. Upon its debut, “Gremlins” was both a critical and commercial triumph, earning the title of the fourth highest-grossing film of 1984 at the global box office, surpassed only by films like “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Despite mixed results in theaters, its successor, “Gremlins 2: The New Batch,” received generally positive reviews from critics but didn’t match its predecessor’s box office performance. However, it eventually garnered a cult following, demonstrating the enduring appeal of the franchise. This was further confirmed with the release of Max’s animated “Gremlins” series, “Secrets of the Mogwai” and “The Wild Batch,” both of which received perfect scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

A New ‘Gremlins’ Movie Is Reportedly in the Works

Warner Bros. Discovery is rumored to be working on a fresh Gremlins film, with the original screenwriter Chris Columbus involved, although the studio hasn’t officially verified this project yet. An earlier report hinted that this could be the third installment in the series, aligning with the company’s current strategy of revitalizing its popular franchises. This includes rebooting Harry Potter with a multi-season HBO series, launching the new DCU with James Gunn’s Superman film, and possibly resurrecting The Goonies, another franchise that has been under discussion for quite some time, similar to Gremlins.

Since 2013, whispers about a third Gremlins movie have been circulating, as Warner Bros. is said to be contemplating a revival of this franchise and actor Zach Galligan, who portrayed Billy Peltzer in the initial two movies and its animated prequel, has added fuel to the rumors. Last February, Galligan disclosed that the studio was planning another live-action Gremlins film, but without an official announcement, it’s unclear if these mischievous creatures will wreak havoc on the big screen once more.

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2025-03-14 16:34