Gremlins Star Thinks Animated Series Could Lead to New Live-Action Film

In the 30 years since fans were given the sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, they'd hoped to get a third entry into the franchise, with film star Zach Galligan teasing that the upcoming animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai could be setting the stage for that sequel. While Galligan himself might not be involved in the animated series, he believes that, with how many decades have passed since Mogwai and the Gremlins have been pop culture sensations, the series will serve to both rekindle fans' passion for the mythology while also offering an entirely new generation exciting new adventures and build interest in a big-screen outing.

"It seems like what they're going to do is reeducate us on the mythology surrounding Gremlins and Gizmo and Mogwai and, of course, most importantly, the three nebulous rules," Galligan revealed to SYFY WIRE. "You have to figure that they're using the animated series as a stepping stone to the larger endgame, which is a live-action Gremlins movie. That would be my assumption and it's really not that much of a stretch to think that that's what they're doing."

The series is described, "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."

Despite the actor's comments merely being conjecture, it's clear that he has a continued passion for the franchise and his character, as evidenced by his own ideas for a third film.

"I would like to see some kind of reunification with Billy and Gizmo. The relationship between them is kind of the heart and soul of both movies," the actor admitted. "I would also like to see some expansion of some pivotal ideas in the series ... I think we should see some misapplications of the rules; I'd like to see what happens as various liquids hit Mogwais, if it causes strange things to happen or mutations."

One thing we should not expect if a third film ever comes together, is seeing Billy replicate the mistakes from past films and would strictly adhere to the creatures' rules.

"The only key mistake that they could make, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't make this, is the notion that my character would break the rules for a third time," Galligan pointed out. "My guess is that Gizmo would either have to be taken away from me and someone else would have to break the three rules, because they were unaware of them, and I would be the one going, 'No, no, you must follow them!' Or, another Mogwai is found and people know nothing about it, so, therefore, they break all the rules and then I have to fix it. Who you gonna call? Gremlin-busters."

Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is slated to debut on HBO Max next year. Stay tuned for details on the future of the Gremlins franchise.

What do you think of the actor's remarks? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!