For years the Leprechaun franchise remained dormant, until Leprechaun Origins and a further film, Leprechaun Returns, brought the series back to life. Of course, both films took different turns with the source material. While Leprechaun Origins was about as far removed from the iconic horror franchise as you could get, Leprechaun Returns was a new direct sequel to the original – albeit with a different actor in the titular role. Nevertheless, many fans still want to see the franchise continue, and it seems they might be getting their wish. It’s been reported that Lionsgate is actively looking for pitches to start a new installment in the Leprechaun franchise.
This was revealed via Bloody-Disgusting, and while they didn’t have many details regarding the direction Lionsgate hopes to go in, they revealed the following:
“Bloody Disgusting’s sources indicate that Lionsgate is actively seeking out pitches for the next Leprechaun movie, so you can expect more from the mischievous horror icon soon.”
It seems more likely than not that the new film will take a similar approach to Leprechaun Returns, with a version of the character that’s somewhat familiar to audiences. As opposed to Leprechaun Origins, which mostly alienated the fanbase by taking such a different approach to the source material and the iconic villain. Hopefully we’ll know for sure soon, and whether or not original franchise star Warwick Davis could make a comeback as well. He portrayed the character in the previous two outings, and it would be more than fitting to see him come back for a final swansong as the character.
Filmmaker Darren Lynn Bousman, for example, has been particularly vocal about spinning his own take on the franchise. And he’s stated that he’d love to do a film in the vein of the original six films, all of which starred Warwick Davis, and even bring Davis back as the character. Will Bousman finally get his chance? We’ll just have to wait and find out.
Fans can stay tuned to ScreenGeek for more updates on this Leprechaun project as we have them.