Chris Columbus Says ‘Gremlins’ Reboot May Happen, ‘Goonies 2’ Probably Not
Because it seems like the reboot fever will never break, we need to go deeper into the realm of pop culture nostalgia to find something that hasn't been revamped or rebooted yet. Neither the Gremlins nor The Goonies have come back to the silver screen yet, even though reboots and sequels to both have been whispered about for a few years, so it’s a good thing they were both written by the same guy, and that he was game to provide some updates.
Writer Chris Columbus recently spoke with Metro about the two possible reboots — a sequel to 1985’s The Goonies and a reboot of 1984’s Gremlins — and says that Gremlins probably will happen, while The Goonies 2 probably won’t.
There has been talk of it. That’s a difficult one. Only because all of the actors have gotten older and chosen different careers. So that’s a little more difficult. Gremlins, we are actively talking about that. So that’s what I am working on with my production company 1492 Pictures.
So, equal parts good and bad news. Both of these properties have stood the test of time to become beloved pop culture icons (a friend of mine has a Gremlins Christmas seater that he bought only a few years ago), and Columbus said that that timeless quality was built in from the beginning.
That was the goal on the films that have worked and have stood the test of time. There was definitely an intention to make them timeless. Even when we were making Home Alone I was saying to the crew, ‘I hope when people are watching this on TV in 30 years that this still feels fresh.’ You are a product of the time you shoot the movie, so there are a few things that give away what year it was. But there is a timeless quality, which starts with the story, which you know has an emotional connection to the audience that you know will continue through generations. But then there is production design, visual design, and making sure that it is appealing. There is a certain appeal to those films that helps to retain a certain freshness.
Keep an eye out for more Gremlins news as that reboot moves closer to actually happening.