The creator of the Leprechaun series has revealed the character’s true name. The horror franchise began in 1993 with Leprechaun, the story of the titular villain who resorts to any means necessary to reclaim his stolen gold. Writer, director, and creator of the franchise Mark Jones mainly worked on the first two Leprechaun installments before Lionsgate steered the series in a different direction during its eight-film run. This included Leprechaun 4: In Space, and Leprechaun in the Hood, a particularly notorious entry in the series.

Warwick Davis starred as the titular Irish folk character in six of the eight films, helping to create the iconic villain who has come to be known as Lubdan. Jones revealed he was inspired to make the horror film after watching a Lucky Charms cereal commercial, which features a jolly, benevolent leprechaun mascot. It was Davis’ decision to inject campy humor into Leprechaun, which would otherwise have been a more straightforward horror film. The film is also notable for being Jennifer Aniston’s first starring role, before finding fame in Friends.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

Mark Jones has revealed to Screen Rant that despite the leprechaun being known by fans as Lubdan, that was not the name he had chosen. “In the original draft of my script I had named him Basil,” says Jones. “At one point there was going to be an old circus wagon that had the Leprechaun’s name on it, but we never ended up shooting it or using the Leprechaun’s name in the movie.” Jones believes that a four-series comic book released to tie-in with the franchise chose to fill in the name as Lubdan. Jones says he is amused when the new name pops up and wonders why he was not consulted on the leprechaun’s name before Lubdan was chosen.

Both Davis and Jones moved away from the franchise in recent years. Warwick Davis revealed his move from grizzly horror was due to the fact he had young children, and later went on to star in beloved franchises like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Jones did not have much involvement with subsequent installments in the franchise but did recently reveal his plans to return to horror with a Vamprechaun spin-off. This would involve a leprechaun being bitten by a vampire and turning into a cross-breed monster.

See also  Avengers' Longest Storyline Ends, But Was It Worth The Wait?

The Lubdan name has taken hold in the horror community and many fans enjoy repeat viewings of the film at both Halloween and St Patrick’s Day. However, eagle-eyed fans will note Davis’ character is billed simply as ‘Leprechaun’ on the film’s IMDb entry. Jones’ comments come as another interesting behind-the-scenes insight into the Leprechaun franchise. Though the name Lubdan has pretty firmly taken hold in the horror community and will likely continue to be the character’s unofficial moniker, Jones’ insight into his original vision is fascinating.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Video Shows Willem Dafoe Scaring Tom Holland on Set

About The Author


Jack Whitfield
(50 Articles Published)

Jack Whitfield is an Entertainment Writer for Screen Rant.

He graduated from the University of Worcester in 2018 with an English Degree and a lifelong love of Joan Didion.

Jack loves all movies, but especially horrors and thrillers. He explores the campy side of horror in his podcast We Have To Scream.

Follow Jack on Twitter at @jackwhitfield_

More From Jack Whitfield