Spiral Director Darren Lynn Bousman to Lionsgate: “Give Me the F-cking Leprechaun Franchise”

Horror fans might initially connect filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman with the Saw franchise, having previously delivered three sequels into the original series as well as the upcoming Spiral: From the Book of Saw, but there’s another franchise the filmmaker is hoping to enter, as he’s desperate for studio Lionsgate to allow him to helm a revival of the Leprechaun series. Since the first film debuted in 1993, the Leprechaun films have only earned moderate successes as it has faded into obscurity, which Bousman hopes he could change. Spiral: From the Book of Saw hits theaters on May 14th.

When asked by ComicBook.com if he’d like to make multiple more Saw sequels with complete creative freedom or one Leprechaun movie, Bousman confirmed, “The Leprechaun movie, don’t ask stupid questions. It’s always the Leprechaun movie, and I’m gonna take this chance, because I know Lionsgate is listening in that room over there, give me the f-cking Leprechaun franchise. I mean, seriously, I’ve been asking for 15 years.”

The original 1993 Leprechaun focused on a family who moves into a new house and unknowingly becomes targeted by a nefarious leprechaun who thinks they have stolen his pot of gold. The film leaned into the ludicrous premise to deliver audiences a horror-comedy which, though largely forgettable in every conceivable way, was memorable for its sheer absurdity.

The most recent entry came in 2018 with Leprechaun Returns, which served as a direct sequel to the debut film.

“I’m not even joking you, I just love … my favorite subgenre of horror is fun horror movies, that are just fun and you smile and you high-five in theaters,” the filmmaker continued. “There are moments of that in Spiral that are fun, with the Forrest Gump [discussion], but the Leprechaun movie, to me, is the epitome of a fun moviegoing experience. It’s ridiculous, it’s over the top, it’s gory, it’s violent, give that to me. What else are you gonna do with it?”

A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.

Stay tuned for details on the possible future of the Leprechaun series. Spiral: From the Book of Saw hits theaters on May 14th.

Do you want Bousman to deliver a new Leprechaun? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!