Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has hired screenwriter Carl Ellsworth to pen the reboot of Gremlins. No stranger to horror, Ellsworth has previously drafted the remake of The Last House on the Left, Red Dawn, Disturbia, and the upcoming Goosebumps.
Another film in the fan-favorite franchise has been on and off in development for years, with a previous draft being written by Seth Grahame-Smith (Abrahama Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), but as of yet nothing has materialized. The outlet also notes that the original film’s screenwriter, Chris Columbus, was previously in talks to direct, but that is no longer the case. Instead he’ll produce along with the original film’s executive producer Steven Spielberg.
The original 1984 classic Gremlins was directed by Joe Dante and has become infamous for being one of the films “responsible” for the creation of the MPAA’s PG-13 rating. It also became a box office smash, bringing in over $150 million domestically and making way for a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. A farcical meta-take on the mischievous creatures, the sequel didn’t replicate the box office success of its predecessor but has managed to garner a cult following.
