Zach Galligan will return to the ‘Gremlins’ franchise

The cast of “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” is officially stacked. The prequel series just announced a whole new lineup of celebrity voices at their San Diego Comic-Con panel, including the return of the original Billy, Zach Galligan.

Galligan surprised fans onstage by revealing he’ll have a recurring guest role on the HBO Max series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.” But that’s not all, the panel also announced a truly iconic list of guest stars for the new series including: Sandra Oh, Randall Park, George Takei and Bowen Yang. The series previously announced a roster of Hollywood icons before including James Hong, BD Wong, Ming-Na Wen and Matthew Rhys.

“Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” is set in 1920s Shanghai, eastern China, and centers on Sam Wing (Izaac Wang), an ordinary 10-year-old boy who meets Gizmo (AJ Locascio), a “mogwai” – a strange furry creature that is soft and cute but can easily become violent and destructive. Along with Elle (Gabrielle Green), a teenage Sam sets out on a journey through the Chinese countryside to reunite Gizmo with his family, encountering creatures from folklore and being pursued by a growing army of evil gremlins. The aforementioned Wen, Wong, and Hong all play Sam’s family, while Rhys voices one of the main antagonists. The show is a prequel to the original hit comedy horror film, with Sam notably sharing a last name with the shopkeeper who owns Gizmo in the original film.

Although the show has been announced and in development since 2019, it gained renewed attention last week when Joe Dante, director of the two ‘Gremlins’ live-action films, slammed the character of Grogu – colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda. – from the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian”. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Dante claimed that Grogu was a cheap imitation of Gizmo’s portrayal in the original series.

“I think the longevity of [the film] is really the key to this character (Gizmo), who is basically like a baby,” Dante told the publication. “Which brings me, of course, to the subject of Baby Yoda, being completely stolen and just being over-copied. Shameless, I think.

Dante served as a consultant on “Secrets of the Mogwai”, which was developed for television by Tze Chun. Chun executive produces with Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sam Register and Brendan Hay, while Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation serve as the studios behind the animated series. Although an HBO Max original, the series will also air on Cartoon Network in the future. Additionally, the series received a second season renewal ahead of its first season.