Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai adds Ming-Na Wen, James Hong, and more

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

The animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, a prequel to the 1984 classic Gremlins (watch it HERE), is supposed to make its debut on the HBO Max streaming service sometime in 2021 – and while we wait for a specific release date, Variety has confirmed several members of the show's voice cast. Lending their voices to the series are Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, Matthew Rhys, A.J. LoCascio, Gabrielle Green, and the great James Hong. That's quite a line-up!

Wang is providing the voice of the lead character, Sam Wing. The 10-episode series will tell 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.

Wen is voicing Sam's mother, Fong Wing. She is a doctor of Chinese medicine who is "resourceful, slyly funny and fiercely protective of her family". Wong provides the voice of Sam's father, Hon Wing, a "calm rock" that has "never believed his father-in-law's tales of magic and adventure". Hong is voicing Grandpa, who 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". 

A.J. LoCascio takes over the role of Gizmo, who was voiced by Howie Mandel in the two films. Sam's friend Ellie is being voiced by Gabrielle Green.

Rhys will be voicing the show's villain, Riley Greene. Greene is "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 wrote Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai and serves as co-executive producer. The show is being executive produced by Sam Register and Amblin Television's Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey. Brendan Hay is also co-executive producer, while Dan Krall is supervising producer. Amblin is producing the series in association with Warner Bros. Animation.