It’s been thirty years since the awesome Gremlins 2: The New Batch hit cinemas and its reputation has been building over the decades to the point that it was the subject of one of the all-time funniest Key and Peele skits. Despite the property being on ice for so long, the cute Mogwai and the Gremlins certainly haven’t been forgotten about, as they’re frequently referenced in adverts and have proved enduringly memeable. Of course, all eyes are now on HBO Max, where the franchise is officially coming back in new animated show Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.
Set in 1920s Shanghai, the series will depict the adventures of a very young Gizmo and 10-year-old Sam Wing. Sam will go on to become elderly antiques store owner Mr. Wing by the time of the first movie and will still be caring for the surprisingly long-lived little guy. I’m betting we’ll see him learning the three important rules to care for Mogwai, too, which are don’t expose them to sunlight, don’t get them wet and – most importantly – under no circumstances should you feed them after midnight.
Presumably, Wing is going to figure out these rules the hard way, or else the show wouldn’t have “Gremlins” in the title. We don’t have a release date for it just yet, but it seems that work is completed and it’s now waiting for the right slot. Someone at HBO Max clearly likes what they’ve seen, too, as they’ve already announced a second season.
Personally, I can’t wait. The show has an awesome array of talent behind it, with Animaniacs and Robot Chicken staff executive producing, and original Gremlins director Joe Dante on board as a consultant. If this hits the mark, expect talk to begin in earnest about a proper Gremlins 3 live-action sequel following the next batch of homicidal and mischievous little monsters.