Television and filmmakers are getting heavy-handed with nostalgia as a means of reaching their audiences and growing their fan bases. Remakes, long-awaited sequels, prequels, and reboots of old cult classics are flooding the market. While the success of these new shows and movies can be hit or miss depending on the target audience and how well they are written and filmed, it’s plain to see that nostalgia is a market all on its own.

Even if you never watched the Gremlins (1984) and its sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), you were probably familiar with the oftentimes cute but sometimes dangerous Mogwai and their three important rules: don’t expose them to bright light, don’t get them wet, and never feed them after midnight. Those rules were burned into the brains of the fans of the movies and have been alluded to in other works over the years. And while the fans of the cult classics are likely grown and possibly have children or even grandchildren of their own, what better way to garner a new audience or reinvigorate an old fan base than to create an animated family series? Here is what we know so far about the upcoming show Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.

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Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai: The Plot

     Warner Bros.

In the first Gremlins movie, we get introduced to Gizmo, the mogwai that was bought by a father, Randall Peltzer (Hoyt Axton), as an early Christmas present for his son, Billy, played by actor Zach Galligan (Waxwork). Randall finds the creature at a junk shop in Chinatown that is run by Mr. Wing (Keye Luke, Sidekicks 1986). Mr. Wing refuses to sell the creature, but his grandson does sell it to Rand without his grandfather’s knowledge or permission. He imparts the three important rules to Rand, and sends him on his way. When the rules are inadvertently broken, it is up to Billy and his romantic interest Kate (Phoebe Cates, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) to save the town from the gremlins and subsequently save Gizmo.

Neither a teaser trailer nor a full-length trailer have been released for the new series, but we do know a few details of the overall plot of the show. According to Amblin TV, the animated series will be a prequel to the movies. It takes place in a 1920 version of Shanghai where we will meet a ten-year-old Sam Wing who will grow up to be the shopkeeper Mr. Wing from the 1984 movie. The show will follow Sam Wing who meets and befriends the cute Gizmo as well as another child on the streets, Elle.

Together they travel outside of Shanghai and through the countryside with the goal of reuniting Gizmo with his family. In their journey and search for some fabled treasure, they will encounter and even get into battles with other enemies including but not limited to spirits, creatures, and monsters from Chinese folktales all the while trying to outrun the main antagonist who possesses an army of evil gremlins. It sounds like a magical and action-packed journey that would likely only be done correctly as an animated show.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai: The Cast

     Universal Pictures

Since the series will be an animated one, the creators of the show pulled in many notable voice actors and live-action actors as well. Isaac Wang (Raya and the Last Dragon) will be the voice of the main character, Sam Wing. Sam’s traveling companion and cohort, the street thief Elle, is voiced by Gabrielle Nevaeh Green (All That and Monster High). A.J. LoCascio (God of War: Ragnarök) is voicing none other than Gizmo himself.

Along with the voice actors, we have an impressive list of live-action actors joining the show. James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China) will fill the role of Grandpa (one can only assume this is Sam Wing’s grandpa). Hon Wing and Fong Wing (presumably Sam’s parents) are voiced by BD Wong (Jurassic World) and Ming-Na Wen (The Mandolorian) respectively.

Though no specific roles are known for these just yet, there are more famed actors that will come in for guest or recurring characters in the show. Zach Galligan from the original movies will make a voice appearance. Joining Zach, we have others such as Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy), Randall Park (WandaVision), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), and even George Takei (Star Trek). With this list of actors attached to the show, the expectations are set pretty high.

Everything Else We Know

     Universal Pictures 

The series is being written by Tze Chun (Once Upon a Time) and executive produced by Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank (The Americans) for HBO Max. Cartoon Network also plans to air it later after its original release on HBO. The first season will have ten episodes that are planned to be around 30 minutes each. No specific release date has been given yet, but we can expect this animated series to start streaming sometime in 2023.