 After _Gremlins (1984)_ (qv) became such a surprise success, Warner  Bros. immediately wanted a sequel, but director Joe Dante (I) (qv)  had had enough Gremlins for a while and declined. Work on Gremlins 2  proceeded without him, as the studio approached various directors  and writers. Storylines considered included sending the gremlins to  cities like Las Vegas or even the planet Mars. After these ideas  fell through, the studio finally asked Dante again, who agreed on  the condition that he be allowed to do anything he wanted. He also  received a bigger budget. Dante later acknowledged that by this  point too much time had passed between the films, thus possibly  reducing Gremlins 2s appeal.