Before making the jump to directing, Chris Columbus got his start writing a pair of ’80s classics in Gremlins and The Goonies, and as all manner of remakes and franchise updates continue to dominate the box office, Columbus has become embroiled in attempts by Warner Bros. to bring both properties back to the big screen. Of course, with rabid fans of both films instinctively being wary of studio attempts to cash in on their nostalgia, WB is treading carefully.
Now, with Columbus’ blockbuster Pixels about to hit theaters, the director is out on the press circuit and has confirmed that he’s “heavily developing” the two remakes at WB. However, he added that, “it’s a slow process and I don’t think it will happen too quickly.” You don’t say?
This is really little more than a “never say die” update from Columbus, with the director commenting that he’s going to stay involved more out of a desire to protect the integrity of his first big successes than out of a pressing urge to see new Gremlins and Goonies movies pop up in theaters.
According to Columbus:
“The stuff that I’m involved with — the Gremlins and Goonies reboots, for instance — they would do that without me. So, I’m staying involved just so I can be protective and actually protect what people love about those movies so it doesn’t go off track.”
Putting aside that Joe Dante has stated he won’t be returning to the director’s chair for the new Gremlins update, and that the principal players of The Goonies have scattered to the winds, it’s just difficult to imagine remakes of either film generating a ton of interest from audiences. But given how stunningly successful Jurassic World proved to be 14 years after the third installment, maybe that’s an incorrect assumption and both movies are going to break a billion. Time will tell.