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Will We Ever Get a New Leprechaun Movie? Here's Everything We Know
Has the campy horror franchise run out of four-leaf clovers?
He's mean, he's green, and he's been away from the pop culture scene for over half a decade now. That's right, folks, we're talking about the killer Leprechaun of the cult favorite Leprechaun horror film franchise (the first two movies are currently streaming on Peacock).
The most recent entry in the series — 2018's Leprechaun Returns — made its television network debut on SYFY (watch it on the app right here) and served as a direct sequel to the 1993 original by handing the torch off to the daughter of Jennifer Anniston's Tory Redding. Celebrated Willow alumnus Warwick Davis, who played the eponymous creature from Irish mythology over six titles, declined a return, which allowed Linden Porco (Cult of Chucky) to tackle the iconic character.
“Horror is an interesting medium. I think it’s different when you have kids; you look at horror in a slightly different way," Davis told Bang Showbiz in 2018 (via Bloody Disgusting). "Since I finished the Leprechaun films I had kids and I see the world through their eyes, and to be in a horror movie right now is probably not quite right.”
While it's true we haven't gotten another chapter in the pot-o'-gold saga in almost six years now, it's not something we need to worry about just yet. The longest stretch between Leprechaun movies still remains the 11-year gap between Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003) and Leprechaun: Origins (2014). Nevertheless fans continue to wonder: Does the property have a steady supply of four-leaf clovers it can use for more sequels, or has it finally reached a comfortable retirement at the end of the rainbow? Let's take a took.
Will We Ever Get Lucky and Get a New Leprechaun Movie?
First off, we need to address the Leprechaun vs. Candyman crossover movie that began to gain some steam in the early 2000s following the success of Freddy vs. Jason. The gonzo crossover never came to fruition because Daniel Robitaille himself, Tony Todd, flat-out refused to be part of it... and probably for good reason.
"I saw it and I said, 'I will never be involved in something like that.' I respect the character," he explained during an interview with Dread Central in early 2019. "Once a horror character becomes something of an icon [like Candyman], reluctantly or not, you have to treat that with respect. I remember watching Abbott and Costello [Meet] Frankenstein continuously as a kid and being amazed that my horror legends were making a comedy. So, I guess there are some ways to make something like that work, but I wasn’t interested in doing that with Candyman."
A year after the release of Leprechaun Returns, Saw veteran Darren Lynn Bousman tagged Lionsgate in a tweet, writing that he wanted to make a Leprechaun movie where the villain is sent back in time to the Colorado Gold Rush of the mid-1800s.
Catching up with Bloody Disgusting in 2021 to discuss Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Bousman reiterated his desire to put his mark on the franchise. “I would not reboot it. I don’t want to do that. I would demand that Warwick Davis come back. I wouldn’t do it without him," the director said. "The same way that, like, if there’s another Nightmare on Elm Street … that’s why I think the Jackie Earle Haley movie doesn’t work as well, because fans love [Robert Englund]. They love Warwick Davis, that’s what they want."
He continued: "I would not try to change the tone. I would make it equally as bats**t, bonkers crazy. It would be between the first film and Back 2 tha Hood. It would be somewhere in that tonal frame. It got really ridiculous as they went on, but that ridiculousness is what made them fun."
The following year, Bloody Disgusting brought word that Lionsgate was "actively looking" to revive the IP. While celebrating the original movie's 30th anniversary last year with Den of Geek, director Mark Jones revealed that he and Davis "have talked on and off about" doing another Leprechaun project. Similar to Bousman, Davis wants to see the character wreaking havoc against the backdrop of the Old West. "I think they should do a TV series where the Leprechaun travels the country looking for his gold," mused Jones.
The most promising update came last summer when The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a new Leprechaun movie had entered development at Lionsgate from writer Mike Van Waes (Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch remake) and director Felipe Vargas (Milk Teeth). Roy Lee (IT movies, Barbarian) will serve as producer.
“Thirty years after its debut, this franchise still casts a spell, and we’re thrilled to be bringing it back with a new vision,” Erin Westerman, president of production for Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, said in a statement via THR. “Roy and Miri 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.”
“I’m so honored to be on that project. It’s such a cool franchise. To me what makes the franchise so special is that it really is limitless," Vargas said on the Splattercast podcast (via Fangoria) back in March, stating that he wants to use as many practical effects as possible. "You can do so much with these scares. You can really push the boundaries with these scenes. It doesn’t need to be grounded. It can just be gory, sexy, crazy. I think you can just have fun with it."
He continued: “We’re still figuring out that tone. And the balance between horror and comedy. I would love for it to be scary as hell and also hilarious. I think we’re going back to a lot of the roots of Leprechaun in a lot of different ways, which I’m really excited about. But I think you also want to bring on a new audience. So it’s a really tricky one to figure out."
Leprechaun and Leprechaun 2 are now streaming on Peacock!
Originally published Mar 15, 2024.
