A new Leprechaun movie is officially in the works at Lionsgate, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What do we know about the new Leprechaun movie?
The longest-running franchise in Lionsgate history will get a new film from director Felipe Vargas, the director of the award-winning short film Milk Teeth.
The reboot will be written by Mike Van Waes, who most recently worked on the live-action Lilo & Stitch film. Roy Lee — who has produced other horror films like Barbarian and It — will produce for his Vertigo Entertainment banner.
According to THR, Warwick Davis — who played The Leprechaun in six of the eight films in the franchise — is not expected to reprise his iconic role. No other plot or casting information has been made available as of now.
“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. “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.”
The Leprechaun is not only one of the longest-running for Lionsgate, but is also one of the most well-known horror franchises ever. The first film premiered in 1993 and starred Warwick Davis in the titular role. Davis played a mischievous leprechaun who would hunt down people that took his gold.
The franchise went on to spawn off six more sequels, the latest of which was 2018’s Leprechaun Returns. That film acted as a direct sequel to the original, but was met with mixed reviews.