Considering how the studio treats it, you’d think Gremlins was a money-loser. But it was a hit, and since no hit from the ’80s can be allowed to go without a remake, one is officially on the way. Or at least that’s the plan.
The Gremlins remake is being produced by Seth Grahame-Smith, who you probably know as Tim Burton’s new favorite screenwriter. They don’t even have a script yet, although considering Smith is primarily a screenwriter, it’s likely he’s going to take a crack at it.
We’re of two minds about this one. There’s nothing wrong with a fresh take on a franchise provided it doesn’t suck wildly, and Smith actually has done a fairly good job on the movies he’s worked on. His take on Dark Shadows was surprisingly faithful to the source material and actually fairly funny. Smith seems likely to keep the black comedy that made the original movie so beloved.
On the other hand, part of the charm of Gremlins is the fact that it’s done largely with puppets. Gizmo is adorably cuddly because he’s quite literally a stuffed animal come to life. CGI movies trying for “adorably cuddly” tend to end up… somewhere creepier. Also, it may not be able to avoid being a “beat-by-beat” remake, which might be especially problematic because, let’s face it, the movie launched an entire subgenre about tiny, hungry beasties out for your ass. We haven’t seen one of those in a while for a reason.
But, on the other hand, at least it’s Smith in charge and not, say, Michael Bay. So there’s that, at least.