Chris Columbus Gives Updates on 'Gremlins' Reboot and 'Goonies 2'

"I've seen what happens when sequels can actually work," the writer/director/producer said

Published on April 24, 2015 12:05 AM

Chris Columbus has his hands in two of the most anticipated nostalgia-bait projects: The as-yet untitled Gremlins reboot and the long-rumored Goonies 2. And the writer/director/producer spoke to MTV News this week, elaborating on where each of them are, progress-wise.

You’ll be happier with one bit of news than the other.

Columbus and Steven Spielberg are both on board for the rejuvenated Gremlins project, which most recently had Goosebumps scribe Carl Ellsworth attached as writer.

“There is a writer,” Columbus confirmed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas in a video posted on Wednesday. “I know what the take is, I can’t talk about it, but I was approached to do the sequel to Gremlins way back when.”

“That was before the power of the franchise,” Columbus continued. “I was like, ‘Nah, the first movie exists, it’s great the way it is. Why spoil it with a sequel, or a bunch of sequels?’ ”

“Well, time has passed, and I’ve seen what happens when sequels can actually work So I was open to the idea, and I think we have a really good take.”

Columbus promised that the film would move in “a completely different direction it’s not a remake of the first movie at all … It’s the same universe, the same rules, same Gremlins, but not the same.”

But not all is well in ’80s-land: Of the belated Goonies sequel, which we like to think is called 2 Goony, 2 Goony-ous, Columbus made the following mildly dispiriting statement.

“We’ve been talking about it for years, we haven’t solved it yet. I don’t know that we’ll ever solve it. Discussions have been going on for, it feels like centuries,” he said, adding that the parties involved would have to find a way to “[crack] the right story without offending the sensibility of the original story.”

At least Goonies never say die.