Remember the other day when I pondered if Hollywood could scrape even lower than the bottom of the barrel by updating the Garbage Pail Kids? Well, I can't say I've found that answer just yet, but I can say Tinsel Town is certainly content with scraping from the upper crust just above the bottom.
Earlier today, Variety announced that Lionsgate and WWE Studios (yes, the WWE that used to be the WWF) are rebooting the "Leprechaun" horror series, with the news arriving just in time for St. Patrick's Day.
I'll admittedly do a bit of an about face here and embrace this as a pretty good idea. Even most hardcore horror fans (myself included, obviously) will admit that this is a series that never ascended to great heights. In fact, its highlights include the title character terrorizing Jennifer Aniston before she was famous and battling Ice-T when he was apparently just famous enough to star in "Leprechaun in the Hood."
But Warwick Davis's Leprechaun was indomitable and endearing as only homicidal leprechauns can be, so much so that the series steamed ahead with five sequels. Remarkably, it even survived a trip to space, returning for the two urban sequels (yes, Leprechaun even went "Back 2 Tha Hood").
We still don't know if Davis will return in the role, but that'd be a good start; anyone who starred in all six films deserves a chance to star in a really great one (I'm assuming there can be a great "Leprechaun" film). The WWE actually has a "leprechaun" on its roster named Hornswoggle, and a part of me figures they won't be able to resist some kind of cross-promotion.
Maybe this will be the "Aliens" of the series, featuring multiple killer leprechauns, with both Davis and Hornswoggle sharing the screen. (Hey, it can't be much worse than that time Kane starred in "See No Evil.")
While I'm freely giving out ideas for what shape this film can take, let me offer a couple more. A few years back, Darren Lynn Bousman (who helmed three "Saw" sequels and "Repo!") expressed an interest in sending the Leprechaun into the Old West. If I'm Lionsgate, I'm making the call to see if that's still on the table.
My other suggestion probably retreads old ground, but returning to the hood wouldn't be a bad idea; however, it should be set in the '70s and done purely in Blaxploitation style. The opening sequence of the first urban outing (wherein the aforementioned Ice-T produces a miniature baseball bat from his afro) is actually just like that, so it could work if stretched out to feature length.
No matter what, though, don't send him to space again. I'd rather see Lep wrestle Hornswoggle in a steel cage match than endure that.
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