Connie's Warwick Davis Fanpage and Leprechaun Center

Leprechaun 5 Pre-Release Info

Leprechaun in the Hood behind the scenes photos courtesy of Property Master Bill Davis of Tactical Edge Group. From left to right, Bill with Warwick Davis in full Leprechaun costume; Bill with Ice-T; and a prop that Bill made for the movie.
 

This page contains the Lep in the Hood rumors and leaks that I was able to find prior to the release of the movie.

Information on Leprechaun 5 first started emerging in April 1999. At that time, Owen Edwards of Ficky's Leprechaun Page asked me to be his news reporter. I've been tracking down Leprechaun leads ever since, and came up with various bits and pieces of information. Most of this never got properly posted on Ficky's Page - we ran into logistical problems - and that was what motivated me to start this page. For what follows, thanks to Owen, to all the people who wrote to me through Ficky's Leprechaun Page, and to all the people who responded to my requests for information.

Here's what Doug Hall, the Lep 5 screenwriter, told Owen about the movie in April 1999:

The 5th Leprechaun movie is entitled "Lep in the Hood", in which our little green monster ends up in the inner city, Compton, CA, specifically. This fifth movie should end the reputation of the series as "so bad it's good." While the gruesome and hilarious death scenes are still there, and the one-liners prevalent, the new story will actually weave a very tight message full of hilarious characters from da' hood. By the way, I am the screenwriter for the latest effort. I'm hoping to create a buzz about what the studio hopes will be a real comedy sleeper. It will be a theatrical release. Production begins in June. Hopeful release date is late summer.

Unfortunately, they changed their minds about the theatrical release.

 

In June 1999, Leprechaun star Warwick Davis was kind enough to respond to an e-mail I sent him. He confirmed some of the early rumors about the title and the casting. He also told me that the movie was scheduled to start filming on August 3rd, and that Leprechaun designer Gabe Bartalos would be doing the makeup once again.

He said that Trimark is hoping to re-launch the Leprechaun franchise with this new film. I hope this means that they're planning more Leprechaun movies in the future.

Thanks for writing, Warwick!

 

In September 1999, I was told by a source who prefers to remain anonymous that the story involved a rap group that is failing until they find a magical golden flute that improves their sound and makes them popular. The flute belongs to the Leprechaun, of course. Obviously, that part of the rumor proved to be correct.

It was also reported that there was a courtroom scene with a lawyer named Ronny Cochran, an obvious spoof of the defense lawyer in a very notorious murder trial that took place in the US a few years ago. Shortly before the movie's release, screenwriter Doug Hall told me that the it was originally intended to have a more comedic tone, and the script really did include a lawyer named Lonnie Cochran, whose lines included "And remember, you don't need a case, to win based on race," and when referring to potential Y2K problems, "If it does not boot, I will file suit." Doug doesn't know why the character was cut from the movie; it might have been to facilitate the more serious tone that was adopted later, or it might have been to avoid antagonizing a very sharp real-life lawyer.

 

In October 1999, I got some Lep 5 behind the scenes pictures (at the top of the page) and information from Bill Davis of Tactical Edge Group. He was the original Property Master for the movie, but turned it over to his friend Rod Kerns after the first week. He says the schedule was very difficult, with 18 hour days being common.

His information on the plot was basically the same as the information from the back cover of the video. He said that Ice-T plays Mack Daddy, who originally steals the Leprechaun's magic flute back in the '70s. Mack becomes a wealthy record producer. Three local kids discover the flute in Mack's office and steal it, and things hit the fan from there.

Bill says that this is the second movie he has done with Ice-T; earlier in 1999 he did The Heist with him and Luke Perry. Bill describes Ice-T as tough but very nice, and he enjoys working with him. He says that Warwick Davis is also a terrific guy, a real professional and very gentle.

Before he was hired to work on the movie, Bill was unacquainted with the Leprechaun series. Then he rented Leprechaun 3 and thought it was a crack-up. And how does Leprechaun 5 compare? Well, it's hard to tell before the movie is put together, but Bill predicts that it will either become a cult classic or flop completely.