Back in March, Lionsgate and WWE Studios announced that they were teaming up for a reboot of Leprechaun, with WWE star Dylan Postl (Hornswoggle) replacing Warwick Davis. The project continues to move forward and it has been revealed that a writer has been hired.
Harris Wilkinson will be writing the new Leprechaun script, according to Deadline. His previous work includes a spec script titled Ink, that was purchased by Paramount, and Fox TV pilot with Len Wiseman.
The new movie has been referred to as Leprechaun: Origins, but that may just be a working title. The project is still in the early development stages, as a director has still not been announced and the movie is not expected to be released until sometime in 2013. Here is the original announcement posted by WWE Studios:
"As first reported by Variety, WWE Studios is joining forces with Lionsgate for a two-film slate, the first of which will be a reboot of the hit “Leprechaun” franchise. “Leprechaun: Origins” will star WWE’s own mischievous Superstar Hornswoggle making his feature film debut, proving the old adage that there truly are no small parts, only small actors. A writer or director has yet to be announced.
The comedic horror series got its start in 1993, and starred Warwick Davis in the titular role. It also launched the career of “Friends” megastar Jennifer Aniston in her first major part. Five sequels followed, creating a cult favorite series. The formidable tag team of Lionsgate and WWE Studios - the same pairing responsible for "See No Evil" starring Kane and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's "The Condemned" - will share production costs and the development of marketing strategies for the relaunched franchise. Lionsgate will lead the distribution efforts.
Hornswoggle, a WWE fixture since 2006, will grace the silver screen for the first time. The master of the Tadpole Splash and former (and final) WWE Cruiserweight Champion, ‘Swoggle has also been the official mascot of D-Generation X. This Sunday, he will be the flag-bearer for Team Teddy in the huge WrestleMania battle with Team Johnny for General Managerial control of both Raw and SmackDown
The newly announced star played a game of "Hide and Tweet" at WrestleMania Axxess on Thursday, encouraging members of the WWE Universe to locate the diminuative grappler and discover the so-called #swogglesecret, which turned out to be his involvement with Leprechaun: Origins."
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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