Gremlins 3 has a script and is waiting on approval from Steven Spielberg, one of the stars of the 1980s original says.

Gremlins lead actor Zach Galligan has revealed that Warner Bros is “incredibly interested” in making a follow up to 1984’s Gremlins.

All that is required to get under way is for executive producer Spielberg to approve the script.

“After 35 years, they’ve come up with a script. Warner Bros is incredibly interested in doing it; apparently it’s waiting on Mr Spielberg to read it and approve it,” Galligan – who played Billy Peltzer in Gremlins and its sequel – said during an appearance at Comic-Con Manchester, according to Games Radar.

“But you can thank the success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”

Last year’s sequel to 1980s hit Beetlejuice – also starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara – cleaned up at the box office, grossing more than $700 million worldwide.

Warner Bros Pictures co-chief Pam Abdy revealed back in April that new entries in the Gremlins franchise were in the works.

“Adding to things we’re excited about, Andy Serkis doing the Gollum film, Drew Goddard writing a new Matrix. We’re super excited about Amblin [Entertainment] developing with Chris Columbus new entries in the Gremlins and Goonies franchises,” She told Deadline.

“We just had a dynamite check-in with Philippa Boyens on [The Hunt for] Gollum, and I think we’re about to get that script in May. Cat in the Hat and the second Dr Seuss adaptation Jon M. Chu is co-directing … there’s really great stuff on the horizon.”

Gremlins was a horror comedy directed by Joe Dante from a script written by Columbus. Famously, it and another 1980s classic, Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, led to the creation of the PG13 category for movies.

The first movie starred Galligan, Phoebe Cates and Hoyt Axton, with Howie Mandel voicing the character of Gizmo.

In the film, Galligan’s character is gifted a mogwai named Gizmo. Things go horribly wrong after he fails to follow the three strict rules for looking after him.

It was followed by Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990, in which the tiny monsters took over a New York City media mogul’s high-tech skyscraper.

-with AAP