We’re Getting That Gremlins Cartoon

Last February there were reports that Warner Bros was finally letting Gizmo out of his cage again to star in a Gremlins TV series, this one animated. Now we have confirmation that this show will really happen. WB and Amblin formerly announced it today, and as the rumors suggested, it’s a prequel about how Gizmo met Mr. Wing:

Set in 1920s Shanghai, the series will tell the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing (future shop owner Mr. Wing in the 1984 movie) met the young Mogwai called Gizmo. 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.

Given that Mr. Wing winds up keeping Gizmo as a pet until his dying breath, we don’t think Gizmo is going to succeed in finding his family. Either that, or Gizmo DOES find his family and they excommunicate him over not becoming a highly paid lawyer like his father.

If there’s only one Mogwai, where did this nameless villain get his Gremlin army from? Wing knows better than to get Gizmo wet — he wouldn’t repeat those rules so often if he was a hypocrite. Then again, he’s just a boy here. Experience is the best teacher.

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai will premiere sometime in the future on WarnerMedia, WN’s forthcoming streaming service.