Steven Kostanski's LEPRECHAUN sequel is being released by Lionsgate next month and is being touted as a direct sequel to the first film. Mark Holton (PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE) reprises the role of Ozzie from the original 1993 flick and judging by lines in the trailer, the heroine is the daughter of Jennifer Aniston's character from the original. Not only that but Linden Porco is taking over the role of the titular green meanie from franchise mainstay Warwick Davis this time around.
But why did Davis choose not to return along with the Leprechaun for LEPRECHAUN RETURNS? Well, it turns out he's become quite the family man in the years since LEPRECHAUN BACK TO DA HOOD and doesn't think horror movies are the right choice for himself as an actor at this time.
Specifically, he says:
You know what we did six 'Leprechaun' films and around Halloween people always watch them and love them. Horror is an interesting medium, I think it's different when you have kids, you look at horror in a slightly different way. 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, I will wait until my son turns 18 and then I'll do some horror again.
Not to, you know, get too much into Davis' personal life here, but he mentions his son turning 18 before he makes another horror film. Well, his son is 15, so maybe that means he'll return sooner than later? Let's hope so as a LEPRECHAUN film without Davis is no doubt going to be (at least slightly) disappointing. Not that I don't think the new film won't be a hoot, I'm just saying Davis IS the Leprechaun so they are (metaphorically) big shoes to fill.
Directed by Kostanski from a screenplay by Suzanne Keilly, the sequel tells the following story:
When the sorority sisters of the Alpha Upsilon house decide to go green and use an old well as their water source, they unwittingly awaken a pint-sized, green-clad monster. The Leprechaun wants a pot of gold buried near the sorority house, but first, he must recover his powers with a killing spree — and only the girls of AU can stop him.
Porco and Holton's co-stars include Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, Sai Bennett, Emily Reid, Oliver Llewellyn-Jenkins, and Ben McGregor. The original plan for this film was for it to premiere on Syfy on Saint Patrick's Day 2019. It may air on Syfy in March, but we're going to have the chance to watch it three months earlier than that as LEPRECHAUN RETURNS is being released on digital and VOD on December 11th.