"Leprechaun" Movie Reboot

[Akijama]

Lionsgate and WWE Studios have set visual-effects veteran Zach Lipovsky to direct "Leprechaun," the long-awaited reboot of the successful horror franchise that launched the career of Jennifer Aniston.

Lipovsky was discovered as a contestant on Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett's short-lived reality series "On the Lot," which saw 16 aspiring filmmakers compete for a development deal with DreamWorks.

WWE superstar Hornswoggle (below) will play the title character, which was made famous in the original 1993 movie by Warwick Davis ("Willow").

The original "Leprechaun," which featured comedic elements, followed an evil leprechaun searching for his pot of gold while avoiding four-leaf clovers. But producers are keeping details of Harris Wilkinson's script under wraps to keep the franchise's new direction a secret.

Lionsgate execs Erik Feig, Michael Paseornek and John Sacchi will oversee the project for the studio, along with co-producing partners Michael Luisi and Richard Lowell of WWE Studios.

Since his "On the Lot" win, Lipovsky has written and directed numerous short films and TV movies, and he also produced the upcoming found-footage action-thriller "Ends of the Earth," which CBS Films will release in the U.S. and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will distribute overseas.

He's currently developing a Canadian movie about the War of 1812 in the vein of "300."

He is represented by Verve Talent and Literary Agency and IAM Entertainment.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column...tudios-exclusi