‘Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai’ Adds Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, Matthew Rhys to Cast (EXCLUSIVE)

Gremlins, the fluffy and cute-until-they’re-creepy pint-sized Mogwai monsters that made their debut on the big screen the summer of ’84, will be making a comeback to wreak havoc soon enough. Variety has confirmed the voice cast for “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” the upcoming animated family series from Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Television for HBO Max based on Chris Columbus’ classic horror/comedy “Gremlins.” The show has been in production since at least July 2019.

Set in 1920s Shanghai, the series boasts a cast that includes Ming-Na Wen (“Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D,” “The Mandalorian,” “Mulan”), BD Wong (“Mr. Robot,” “Jurassic World”) and James Hong (“Big Trouble in Little China,” “Blade Runner,” “Mulan”). In addition, Matthew Rhys (“The Americans,” “Perry Mason”), has been tapped to voice the half-hour show’s villain.

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The upcoming, 10-episode animated television adaptation reveals the story of how naïve 10-year-old Sam Wing (the future mysterious Chinatown shopkeep Mr. Wing in the original live-action flick), 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.

Protagonist Sam Wing will be voiced by Izaac Wang. Sam’s mother, Fong Wing, will be voiced by Wen, and his father, Hon Wing, will be voiced by Wong. Sam’s mom is described as a doctor of Chinese medicine who is “resourceful, slyly funny and fiercely protective of her family,” while his dad is characterized as a “calm rock” that has “never believed his father-in-law’s tales of magic and adventure.” The elder of the Wing family, known only as Grandpa, is voiced by Hong. He claims to have traveled the world on grand adventures and he alone knows the true power (and secrets) of the Mogwai and the importance of protecting them. Gizmo will be voiced by A.J. LoCascio, and a 12-year-old human friend of Sam’s, Elle, will be voiced by Gabrielle Green.

Rhys voices nemesis Riley Greene, 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.

Showrunner Tze Chun will write “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” and serve as a co-executive producer. Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television will executive produce along with Sam Register — they have all worked together previously on “Animaniacs.” Brendan Hay will also co-executive produce with Dan Krall serving as supervising producer. Amblin will produce in association with Warner Bros. Animation.

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