We Finally Know What Happens When Gremlins Cross a Time Zone

They're coming back - the furry faces of Gizmo and co. are officially making a comeback as Hollywood lines up a sequel to Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Released in 1984, the original Gremlins film became a Christmas comedy horror shocker, but left scientists scratching their head about timezones. Now an aborted script for what was once supposed to be Gremlins 3 aims to answer that question. Whether or not the current incarnation of Gremlins 3 will use any of these ideas remains to be seen.

The Rules of the Game

There were only ever three rules with the cuddly Mogwai species:

1) No bright light

2) Don't get him wet

3) Never feed him after midnight, no matter how much he begs

So what is the rule on timezones? If gremlins pass into somewhere that is already midnight, how does it work? This question has bugged the film community since 1984 and one scientist even raised the issue during New Batch (unfortunately he never got to finish his theory, after being strangled by Mohawk). On the DVD commentary of New Batch it is even stated the inclusion of this scene was due to the original team's frustration with how the rules work.

Finally we may have an answer. The team behind Freddy vs Jason (Damian Shannon and Mark Swift) took to Twitter and gave us some pages from their (now) aborted script.

The Gremlins 3 that never was.

The script plays out as follows: Opening in Tibet, a rough looking man with scars on his face purchases a "familiar looking carved WOODEN BOX". Scarface takes to the skies in a small commercial airliner and inside said box are not one, but two Mogwai. A calm looking Gizmo and a more mischievous 'hungry' Mogwai. Whilst the rest of the passengers are sleeping, Scarface is desperately trying to keep awake, asking the hostess what time it is. As he finally nods off a rogue peanut enters the box and causes gremlin horror akin to Nightmare at 20,000 ft. So there we have it, 32 years in the making and it turns out that timezones really do factor into Mogwai transformation... Was it worth the wait?

You can see Shannon and Swift's original tweet below:

So where is Gremlins 3?

Original Gremlins star Zach Galligan revealed late last year that Gremlins 3 is a true sequel, not your standard Hollywood prequel/reboot. He also praised the film for being a cult classic and something of a guilty pleasure:

It seems to still speak to people across the years. I think that's because the film's not very date specific. My hairstyle is maybe the most dated thing in the movie.

Think of Gremlins 3 like Jurassic World, set 30 years after the original. Whilst details are sparse, Galligan has promised a Godzilla sized gremlin will be making an appearance, begging the question - what is easier to run from in heels, a gremlin or a T-Rex?