In the age of nostalgia there is nothing dead which can eternal lie and the Gremlins franchise is no exception. While it's been a while since the last outing, HBO Max and Warner Bros. have signed onto a deal to revive the series with an animated prequel set in the 1920's. While not much has been revealed yet, HBO Max, during an update on their kids and family programming, took the opportunity to reveal some first look concept art, which was also shared by showrunner Tze Chun.
The image doesn't give much away, depicting what seems to be a young child and a gremlin walking side by side through the streets of 1920's Shanghai. No plot details have released, but Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai being set in China seems like it is meant to tie into the beginning of the first movie somehow, where the protagonist purchases Gizmo the gremlin from a Chinatown antique shop.
As for now it would seem the show is going to be fairly standalone, set in a completely different time period and entire continent away from the original films. Of course, that doesn't mean it won't call back to the others, there's always room for a cameo from one of the old cast members or a fun callback reference. At the time of writing it has been confirmed that Howie Mandel will not be returning to voice Gizmo. Hopefully the project will find someone who can capture the same spirit of the originals with their vocal performance.
At least it would seem that the project has an enthusiastic lead and a very intriguing premise. Taking a classic franchise and giving it a fresh new spin is never an easy task, but this new piece of art indicates that there is a strong aesthetic being locked down which bodes well for the project. Whether or not the show will lean into the darker elements of the property remains to be seen however, and probably won't be known until audiences get a more official look at the upcoming series.
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai will release on HBO Max at some future date.
Source: Thetzechun/Twitter