MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Latino Director Felipe Vargas Steps Away from Lionsgate’s Next Film Project

In 2023, it was announced that a new Leprechaun movie was in the works. Felipe Varga had been hired to breathe new life into the franchise. With that said, things look to have changed. There hasn’t been much said about the movie over the last year, but it’s clear why. Vargas has been busy on his most recent movie, Rosario, and is no longer directing the Leprechaun movie for Lionsgate.

 

The Leprechaun Franchise over the Years

The Leprechaun franchise has been incredibly successful over the years, with eight installments in total. It’s easy to be creative with the concept as well, as these mystical beings can be portrayed in a number of different ways. In the 1984 game King’s Quest, you encounter leprechauns on your travels, but they are mischievous rather than evil, and bow to the Leprechaun King. In online slots-meets-bingo games like Slingo Rainbow Riches, they are portrayed as hiding in pots of gold, with four-leafed clovers and rainbows. With a background of whimsical lands, this takes a more traditional approach, which reflects how they are often perceived.

With there being so much flexibility with what Leprechauns look like and how they behave, the movies have enjoyed a huge run, as they have been able to delve into different stories over the years to keep fans engaged. The franchise kicked off as a horror-comedy in 1993, with Warwick Davis starring in five sequels. Even though Leprechaun Returns was a sequel, Linden Porco took over the role. While a new Leprechaun movie from Vargas might not be happening, you can watch Rosario online now. Vargas is also going to be working on The Mouth of the Furnace, which is based on Latin American folklore.

What’s Next for Felipe Vargas?

His new movie, The Mouth of the Furnace, is going to be shooting in the Dominican Republic this fall and has Sterlyn Ramirez on board. We don’t know a lot about the new movie or what the storyline is going to be, but new information is being released all the time. The movie will likely take a different story to Rosario, which follows the story of a Wall Street stockbroker who returns to her grandmother's apartment after her death.

While she sorts through her belongings, she finds a secret. She uncovers a hidden changer with occult artifacts that have been tied to different rituals. She then has to confront a number of buried secrets to find out what happened. The movie was a hit with horror fans, and it certainly paid homage to his earlier work. Even though we are not going to see a Leprechaun sequel from the director, that doesn’t mean that the movie isn’t still in production either. It may be that he left to focus on The Mouth of the Furnace or that he was let go and replaced. Either way, there’s a high chance that the new Leprechaun movie is still happening, especially given the popularity of the franchise and how much work has been put into building up buzz.