Leprechaun Returns Director Wants to Make Another Sequel

Leprechaun Returns director Steven Kostanski says that he wants to make another sequel in the long-running horror franchise. Known primarily for its use of famed actor Warwick Davis in the role of the evil Lubdan the Leprechaun, the concept was the brainchild of writer and director Mark Jones.

Though Jones only stuck around for the first entry in the series back in 1993, Davis continued to return for five more sequels. However, by the time the franchise rebooted itself in 2014 with Leprechaun: Origins and later followed that up with 2018’s Leprechaun Returns, Davis had apparently had enough. He was subsequently replaced by Dylan Postl for Origins and with Linden Porco for Returns. While the series – which revolves around an evil Leprechaun who wants his stolen gold back – has never been a favorite of critics (or many horror fans, for that matter), it has managed to gain a significant cult following over the years. As with most cult films, the latter Leprechaun sequels tended to veer off the rails of what the original film established. This is likely why the series was rebooted in 2014 and why Leprechaun Returns was billed as a direct sequel to the first Leprechaun film.

While speaking with ComicBook recently, Kostanski has made it clear he would love to return for another sequel. Kostanski was the last director to take the series on and he still has fond memories of that experience. The director said that, to date, he hasn’t heard any news regarding the possibility of a new Leprechaun film, but that if one were in the works, he’d be “into it.”

Well, I mean, the producer who hired me for Leprechaun was the one that hired me for the Day of the Dead [TV series], so I’ve continued that relationship. But as far as follow-up Leprechaun sequels, I haven’t heard anything, but I would honestly be all over doing it. If it happens, I’d love to do it. I had a lot of fun making that movie, and it was a great experience. It gave me more of an appreciation for the Leprechaun movies. I feel we made something that fits into that mythology nicely, and I think there’s a lot of room to continue it. I haven’t heard anything, but if I was asked to do a follow-up, I’d be into it.

While this is potentially great news for Leprechaun fans, it likely won’t do much for those who still want to see Davis return to the series. Thanks to the extremely low budgets the Leprechaun films are typically made for, the possibility of yet another sequel really isn’t all that hard to imagine. After all, it’s only been three years since Kostanski delivered Leprechaun Returns. Compared to the eleven years that passed between the release of Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood and Leprechaun: Origins, there’s plenty of time to build something new. Whether or not another sequel will actually come to fruition, however, remains to be seen.

Demand is likely the biggest factor influencing the possibility of a follow up to Leprechaun Returns. If fans of the series are still up for seeing more Leprechaun carnage, then Kostanski’s eagerness to return would mean far more. Time will tell what happens with the franchise, but for now, there are still plenty of titles in the series to revisit.

Source: ComicBook

About The Author

Mike Jones
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Mike Jones is an author, screenwriter, world traveller and cinephile. His work has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, and he’s also a Berlinale Talents alumnus. Cinema has always moved him in a big way and aside from having seen The Talented Mr Ripley more times than any other living person, he maintains a pretty darn healthy physical media collection. His favourite filmmakers include: Jordan Peele, David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Leigh, Steven Spielberg, the Dardenne Brothers, Noah Baumbach, Michael Haneke, Barry Jenkins and Andrea Arnold. Often jet-lagged, Mike once turned down a certain A-list celebrity’s offer to join them for a night of partying after a strange encounter in an airport.

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