The Real Reason WWE Wrestler Hornswoggle Starred In Leprechaun: Origins

After starring in the first six films, Warwick Davis left the role of Lubdan and the horror genre as a whole for a personal reason. In an interview with Bang Showbiz (via iHorror), Davis said that having children changed his perspective on horror. "Horror is an interesting medium. I think it's different when you have kids. You look at horror in a slightly different way," he said. "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."

As a result of his departure, the next movie (which would eventually become "Leprechaun: Origins") languished in development hell. In 2012, the project got back on track following Hornswoggle's Twitter announcement he would make his feature film debut and take over the role of the franchise's villain. At the time, the movie was slated for release in 2013, per a 2012 Variety report. "Leprechaun: Origins" also marked an ambitious joint venture for WWE Films and Lionsgate, the first of a two-film slate (via WWE). When it was finally released in 2014, with the WWE wrestle embodying the character in a much darker turn for the franchise, the film was resoundingly unpopular; it earned a 0% rating over on Rotten Tomatoes.

Four years after "Leprechaun: Origins," the franchise continued in 2018 with "Leprechaun Returns," which starred Linden Porco in the lead role (via IMDb). Whether or not there's another sequel in the pipeline is unknown. Davis said in his Bang Showbiz interview that he might do horror again when his son turns 18. Should he reconsider, it will be interesting to see if he would return to "Leprechaun."