Now, Chris Columbus didn’t have anything to do with Gremlins 2 — because by his own admission he didn’t see a franchise.
I think you can tell what’s happening with Gremlins 3 the same way you could tell with Gremlins 2.
He kind of regrets it I believe, but he was ‘one and done’ I don’t think he cared for Gremlins 2 and the direction some of the characters went in, so he’s kind of wrested control back.
There is a huge time gap but it’s Warner Bros, Spielberg and Chris Columbus.