Any geek child of the 1980s will have stories about how the movie ‘Gremlins‘ was an integral part of the foundation of their cinematic upbringing (see the trailer below). We all know the rules, (1) don’t get them wet, (2) don’t expose them to bright light, and whatever you do, (3) don’t feed them after midnight! ‘Gremlins 2’ was received with a lot of anticipation, but unfortunately, was entirely forgettable.
Like many of that generation, I always hoped for more, but more of the same quality as the original. We may be getting there! Warner Bros. has guarded the rights to the story since the original and has finally found a way to bring Gizmo back — this time through an animated series called ‘Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.‘ This new series is set to be available through the HBO Max streaming service.
Warner Bros. managed to keep Joe Dante on board as well. Dante was the director of the first two films and is proudly running the show on ‘Gremlins: SOTM.’ He seems excited to be involved:
“It’s a prequel. It goes back to the character Mr. Wing when he was a boy, and when he first discovered the Mogwai. It’s set in China in the ’20s, and it’s animated and it’s very big in the sense that if you tried to shoot it as a theatrical film, it would be outrageously expensive. But in animation, you kind of get away with almost anything you can think of. And it’s probably not going to be done until 2021 or maybe the end of 2020.”
We can only hope that Dante is given the leeway to see the vision through. Until we get a little more news, here’s the official synopsis:
“We travel back to 1920s Shanghai to reveal 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.”
Here’s to the franchise forming indelible memories in a new generation of geeks!
Source: Daily Dead
