Leprechaun Reboot Movie Officially Announced

Leprechaun landed in theaters back in 1993 and now, 30 years later, Lionsgate confirmed that a new take on the material is set to move forward with director Felipe Vargas at the helm, per The Hollywood Reporter. No details about the nature of the project have been revealed, other than it being teased as a “new vision” for the franchise. With a majority of the entries in the series skipping theatrical releases and heading straight to video, it’s currently unclear if the new take will aim for theaters or be relegated to VOD or a streaming service. Stay tuned for details on the new Leprechaun.

“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, shared in a statement. “Roy [Lee] 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 film sees the supernatural leprechaun (Warwick Davis) seeking vengeance against a family he believes has stolen his pot of gold. The film also marked the big-screen debut of Jennifer Aniston, though she did have an uncredited role as an extra in 1988’s Mac and Me.

While 1994’s Leprechaun 2 earned a theatrical release, it was followed by four straight-to-video sequels. In 2014, the franchise pivoted from the camp and absurdity it often exhibited and delivered the prequel Leprechaun: Origins, delivering a much more monstrous version of the title creature. That prequel failed to resonate with audiences and, in 2018, Leprechaun Returns aimed to replicate the approach the recent Halloween films took and served as a direct continuation of the original movie that avoided making direct references to the multiple sequels. That entry similarly failed to capture the public’s attention in any substantial way, resulting in yet another stagnation of the series.

Warwick Davis isn’t expected to be involved in the upcoming project and it’s entirely unknown whether the project will aim to recapture the campiness of the original films or deliver something more straightforward and horrifying.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Leprechaun series.

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