Leprechaun Movie In Development From Horror’s Hottest Producer
A new Leprechaun film is on the way from Barbarian and It producer Roy Lee.
Lionsgate is currently developing a new Leprechaun movie led by producer Roy Lee. Via his production company Vertigo Entertainment, Lee is a prominent figure in the horror genre, known for his work on Barbarian and It. Director Felipe Vargas, who worked on the acclaimed short film Milk Teeth, will helm the project from a script by Mike Van Waes of Lilo & Stitch movie fame.
Speaking via The Hollywood Reporter, President of Production for Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, Erin Westerman, said the studio is thrilled to be bringing back the Leprechaun after 30 years. “Roy and Miri [Yoon] are two of our most trusted producers, especially with this genre, and we’re excited by Felipe’s vision for the film as a director. In his hands, this movie should be very scary and a ton of fun.”
The original Leprechaun film was produced by Trimark Pictures, known for its low-budget home entertainment projects. Released in 1993, the movie starred Warwick Davis as a mischievous leprechaun with a penchant for protecting his gold and seeking vengeance. The film, which featured Jennifer Aniston in her big-screen debut, went on to achieve surprising success in theaters.
This led to the release of Leprechaun 2 in 1994, with Davis reprising the titular role, initiating a series of sequels. However, the movie fell short of replicating the box office success of its predecessor, resulting in the franchise transitioning to direct-to-video releases starting with Leprechaun 3 in 1995. In 1997, Trimark Pictures incorporated sci-fi into the franchise with the release of Leprechaun 4: In Space.
In 2000, Warwick Davis starred alongside rapper/actor Ice-T in Leprechaun in the Hood, which would be the last film in the franchise distributed by Trimark. When Lionsgate acquired Trimark in 2000, the horror series became a part of its catalog. The studio released its first standalone sequel, Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, in 2003.
After a decade of dormancy, the franchise returned in 2014 when Lionsgate partnered with WWE Studios for Leprechaun: Origins. This marked the first Leprechaun movie to hit theaters since 1994, with former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl in the lead role. The film had a limited theatrical outing, followed by a video-on-demand release.
The eighth and most recent installment in the Leprechaun film series is Leprechaun Returns, released in 2018. Positioned as a direct sequel to the 1993 original, it featured Linden Porco portraying the Leprechaun. The movie premiered on video-on-demand in December 2018 and later debuted on the Syfy channel, which co-produced the film, in March 2019.
The upcoming film is described as a “fresh start,” aiming to “reimagine” the horror franchise to appeal to a new generation of moviegoers. While Davis is not expected to lead the cast, some hope remains that the beloved actor might appear in some capacity. In 2018, Davis said he might return to the horror genre once his son turned 18.
With his son in his early 20s, the studio may try to persuade Davis to make a cameo as the new Leprechaun movie would definitely benefit from the actor’s involvement.
