Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong and Matthew Rhys Join GREMLINS Prequel

Melody McCune

Collage of Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, and Matthew Rhys. All three were cast in Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.

You better not feed them after midnight! According to VarietyMing-Na WenBD Wong and Matthew Rhys have joined the upcoming Gremlins prequel series. Financed by Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Television, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai will find a home on HBO Max. It’ll be a family-friendly animated outing that will consist of 10 episodes. 

Now, the original 1984 flick penned by Chris Columbus follows a gadget salesman’s son who’s gifted a “Mogwai” from a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper warns the young man’s father to never expose said Mogwai to bright light, water and never feed him after midnight. Of course, these rules are subsequently broken and all hell breaks loose. The film spawned a sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which debuted in 1990. 

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai will be set in 1920s Shanghai. It’ll reveal the story of 10-year-old Sam Wing, the future shopkeeper from the first film. We’ll learn how he met the Mogwai called Gizmo. Here’s a brief synopsis per Variety:

Along with a teenage street thief named Elle, Sam and Gizmo take a perilous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering, and sometimes battling, colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. On their quest to return Gizmo to his family and uncover a legendary treasure, they are pursued by a power-hungry industrialist and his growing army of evil Gremlins.

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Sam Wing will be voiced by Izaac Wang. Wen will lend her voice to Fong Wing, Sam’s mother. Wong will voice Sam’s father, Hon Wing. Grandpa, the patriarch of the family, will be portrayed by James HongGabrielle Green will lend her voice to Sam’s friend Elle. Gizmo will be voiced by A.J. LoCascio. Lastly, Rhys will give his voice to the show’s antagonist, Riley Greene. He’s described as a “power-hungry English industrialist and treasure hunter who wields black magic that is determined to stop at nothing in his pursuit of Gizmo and the mythical treasure of the Mogwai.”

Wen is most known for her role as Agent Melinda May in superhero romp Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wong portrayed Whiterose in the crime thriller Mr. Robot. Fun fact: Wen and Wong lent their voices to Mulan and Li Shang, respectively, in Disney’s 1998 movie Mulan. Recently, Rhys starred in HBO’s Perry Mason.

Bring it on, I say! I’m all for prequels. It’s been over 30 years since the last film and I think an origin story would be intriguing. 

Are you excited about Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai? Let us know in the comments below!

 

 

Melody McCune
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