The first two films were theatrically released. After a disappointing gross from
Leprechaun 2, Vidmark released the following sequels direct-to-video.
Leprechaun (1993) In 1983, Daniel O'Grady (Shay Duffin) has captured the Leprechaun (
Warwick Davis) while in
Ireland, takes his gold and smuggles it back to his home in
North Dakota, unaware the Leprechaun has followed him. Confronting O'Grady and demanding his gold the Leprechaun is injured by O'Grady and sealed in a crate with a four-leaf clover, though before O'Grady can kill the creature he suffers a stroke. Ten years later the Leprechaun is accidentally released by Tory Redding (a then-unknown
Jennifer Aniston) and her new friends, and goes on a killing spree in search of his gold, which Alex Murphy (Robert Gorman) and Ozzie (
Mark Holton) had discovered. After the Leprechaun reclaims the bulk of his gold he is defeated when Alex shoots a four-leaf clover down his throat with a slingshot and Alex's older brother Nathan (
Ken Olandt) blows up the well the Leprechaun falls into.
Leprechaun 2 (1994) The Leprechaun seeks out a new bride in modern-day
Los Angeles, one thousand years after an earlier attempt to claim a bride was foiled. Claiming a fussy teenage girl named Bridget (Shevonne Durkin), the descendant of his original choice of a wife, the Leprechaun holds her captive in his lair and terrorizes her boyfriend Cody (Charlie Heath), who had taken one of his gold coins. In the end Cody saves Bridget and defeats the Leprechaun by impaling him with a spike made of
wrought iron, one of the few substances that can harm a Leprechaun.
Leprechaun 3 (1995) The film begins with the Leprechaun, having been changed into a statue by a magical medallion, being sold to a
Las Vegas pawn shop. Assuming his original form when the clerk removes the medallion, the Leprechaun kills him and goes on a rampage through Las Vegas in search of one of his wish granting coins, which is passed from hand to hand. The Leprechaun is ultimately defeated by college student Scott McCoy (
John Gatins) and Scott's new girlfriend Tammy Larsen (Lee Armstrong), who blast his gold with a flamethrower, causing it to vanish and the Leprechaun to burst into flames.
Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997) Taking place in the future, the Leprechaun abducts and begins courting snobbish alien princess Zarina (Rebekah Carlton), seducing her with promises of wealth. After being blown up by a group of marines who rescue Zarina, the Leprechaun is reborn on the marines' ship via exploding out of the groin of an unfortunate man, Kowalski. He then goes off in search of his stolen bride and gold, killing all those who get in his way. After being turned into a giant via an enlargement ray, the Leprechaun is ejected into space by the survivors of the massacre, Tina Reeves (
Jessica Collins), Books Malloy (Brent Jasmer) and Sticks (
Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.).
Leprechaun in the Hood (2000) Set in
Compton, California, the film has the Leprechaun being turned to stone once more, this time by pimp Mack Daddy O'Nassas (
Ice-T), who uses the Leprechaun's mind-controlling magic flute to become a successful music producer. Years later, the Leprechaun is unknowingly changed back to flesh and blood by a trio of wannabe rappers led by Postmaster P. (
Anthony Montgomery) who rob Mack Daddy, taking the Leprechaun's gold and the flute from him with the intent of using the objects to become successful. Hunted by both Mack Daddy and the Leprechaun, Postmaster P., after his friends and Mack Daddy are killed, is brainwashed into becoming a servant of the Leprechaun.
Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003) The film begins with the Leprechaun stalking Father Jacob (
Willie C. Carpenter) trying to get his gold back, only to be dragged into the ground by demonic hands when the priest uses four-leaf clover laced holy water against him before dying from a heart attack. One year later the Leprechaun's gold is discovered by eighteen-year-old Emily Woodrow (Tangi Miller) and her friends, who use the gold to fulfill their wildest fantasies, unintentionally releasing the Leprechaun, who goes after Emily and the others to get his gold back, killing everyone who gets in his way. On the rooftop of the abandoned
community centre Father Jacob had been building using the Leprechaun's gold, Emily and her boyfriend Rory Jackson (
Laz Alonso) defeat the Leprechaun by knocking him and his gold off the roof and into a pool of
wet cement below, where the Leprechaun sinks and becomes trapped.
Leprechaun: Origins (2014) A reboot of the series, the film centers entirely on four American college students touring in Ireland. They come across the monolith from the opening scene, partially intending to study the history symbols but unaware that it is where all hell broke loose for the young couple. Hamish McConville (
Garry Chalk), a friendly Irish man they meet at a bar when they stop, tells them the story of history about the village they are seeing - a mining centre that was used for cavern-obtained gold until it ran out, causing the population to decrease. An initially unseen force starts raiding the cabin they are left at by their transport provider, and they eventually realise that they are being sacrificed by Hamish and his son Sean (Teach Grant) to The Leprechaun (
Dylan Postl) to atone for the decrease and eventual loss of the gold supply. The deadly and homicidal Leprechaun hunts the college students throughout their perilous struggles to survive its onslaught, which ends with it being killed by Sophie (
Stephanie Bennett), the surviving student, and Hamish being killed by the creature in retribution for double-crossing them as the village's final sacrifice.
Lionsgate and
WWE Studios (who worked together on
See No Evil and
The Condemned) were teaming up to reboot the film series around 2010s. Dylan Postl (who works under a leprechaun
gimmick in
WWE as
Hornswoggle) starred in the role as Leprechaun. Until May 2013, there were no updates on the film's progress.
Zach Lipovsky, a visual effects supervisor and a finalist on the
reality game show On the Lot was hired to direct the reboot. The
film was released under a VOD/Digital HD format on August 26, 2014 (following a limited release on August 22), with the DVD/Blu-ray released on September 30.
Leprechaun Returns (2018) The film centers on the first leprechaun (Linden Porco) who escapes from the well into which he was barricaded 25 years prior by Tory Redding (Jennifer Aniston), her father and her friends who accompanied her at the O'Grady house, where he originally found them and terrorized them to get his gold back. In the present day, he returns to terrorize Laila Jenkins (Taylor Spreitler) and her sorority sisters as well as two men staying with them. Laila, a university student, is bought to her sorority home by Ozzie Jones and Tory is revealed to be Laila's mother who has died of cancer, having lived much of her life fearing the creature's return. After dropping Laila off at the house - the same house from 1993, now branded with the AU sorority symbol - he drops his phone while unloading her luggage, and upon returning to retrieve it, he is spat on from down the well by a splash of green water, some of which he swallows, and during his getaway he begins experiencing stomach pains, leading to the creature rebirthing himself and escaping. He kills Ozzie by tearing out of his torso before appearing at the house, killing two of Laila's sorority sisters and the two men. He is eventually electrocuted and ignited, causing the house to explode, but after Laila and Katie (Pepi Sonuga) escape and are driven back to the university campus, he is revealed to have reanimated and is last shown flagging down a truck for a drive to Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota.
Leprechaun Returns takes place 25 years after the original film.
Linden Porco plays the title role, while
Mark Holton reprises his role of Ozzie Jones from the first film. The film was released through digital and on demand on December 11, 2018.
Future A
crossover film with the
Candyman film series was in development following the release and subsequent box office success of
Freddy vs. Jason, tentatively entitled
Candyman vs. Leprechaun, with a script treatment written and Davis set to reprise his role. However, the project stalled after
Tony Todd refused to participate in such a project, stating that he had too much respect for the character he played,
Candyman, to be involved with such a project. In explaining why he did not reprise his role in
Leprechaun Returns, Davis said he stopped appearing in horror films after the birth of his children: "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." In March 2019,
Darren Lynn Bousman, director of four films in the
Saw franchise, expressed interest in a
Leprechaun reboot with Davis starring. Bousman announced his intentions on Twitter, detailing a plot that would send the Leprechaun back to the
Colorado Gold Rush. In 2021, Bousman reiterated his desire to direct a
Leprechaun film while promoting
Spiral: From The Book of Saw. In an interview with
Bloody Disgusting, Bousman explained his plans further, stating that his potential film would not be a reboot, but "a more direct sequel to the
Leprechaun franchise", and he "would demand that Warwick Davis come back". Bousman further declared that he would not try to change the tone of the series (à la
Leprechaun: Origins) but would stick to the darkly comedic themes of the original six films: "I think that's what's so great about the
Leprechaun films. They're silly, they're fun. They are violent, but it's a pure popcorn movie. I would not try to change the tone. I would make it equally as batshit, bonkers crazy. It would be between the first film and
Back 2 tha Hood. It would be somewhere in that tonal frame. It got really ridiculous as they went on, but that ridiculousness is what made them fun." In April 2022,
Bloody Disgusting reported that Lionsgate was "actively seeking out pitches for the next
Leprechaun movie". Nearly a year later in February 2023, franchise creator Mark Jones told
Den of Geek that had discussed the idea of a new film with Davis and expressed interest in seeing the franchise adapted for television. "Warwick and I have talked on and off about it. He likes the idea of a Leprechaun in the Wild West. I think they should do a TV series where the Leprechaun travels the country looking for his gold." In July 2023,
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Lionsgate had plans of rebooting the franchise again with Felipe Vargas directing. In March 2025, it was announced Vargas would no longer direct the film. ==Cast and characters==