Don’t Get It Wet – Max Unveils Trailer For Gizmo’s Animated Backstory, ‘Gremlins: Secrets Of The Mogwai’
The least lethal of all the Mogwai is finally getting a chance to share his origin story.
Max (formerly known as HBO Max) released a trailer for its new animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, which will premiere on the service on May 23rd.
The show is set in 1920s Shanghai where we see the Wing family getting its first look at the creature called a Mogwai. Sam Wing (who we will meet again as curiosity shop owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 Gremlins film) decide to adopt Gizmo and take him home, which means they must embark on a journey through the Chinese countryside.
Sam and Gizmo are joined by a teenage street thief named Elle, the three encounter—and sometimes battle—colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. As if that weren’t dangerous enough, they must battle a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil (isn’t that redundant?) Gremlins who are in hot pursuit of Gizmo and company.
The show boasts an amazing voice cast, including Ming-Na Wen, James Hong, BD Wong, Matthew Rhys, Izaac Wang, AJ LoCascio, and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green. Guest stars include Sandra Oh, Randall Park, George Takei, and Bowen Yang. Howie Mandel, who voiced Gizmo in the movies, is not expected to do so in the series, but Zach Galligan, who played Billy Peltzer in both films, is listed as a guest star.
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation. Steven Spielberg serves as executive producer, along with Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, Presidents of Amblin Television, and Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. Joe Dante, who directed both Gremlins and its sequel, serves as consulting producer.