Candyman Vs Leprechaun Could Have Happened, But Tony Todd Said No

Dread Central, speaking to Todd, brought up a rumor that Bernard Rose was approached by...someone...about the possibility of a fight between two of cinema's most famous monsters of the early 1990s. It was certainly a funny idea. Candyman was an urban legend who, once a murdered 19th-century southern artist, manifested in Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing projects sated revenge. The Leprechaun (played by Warwick Davis) was, well, a leprechaun who escaped from a basement prison to find his gold, shine shoes, murder people and make terrible jokes. "Candyman" was a contemplative, almost funereal film. "Leprechaun" was a shameless, comedic matinee trash.

Todd confirms that the idea of ​​Candyman vs. Leprechaun was actually presented to him sometime after 'Freddy vs. Jason' was released. It seemed like the tone of the project, however, needed to be more silly and comedic along the lines of the "Leprechaun" films, a detail Todd dismissed. In his words:

"That was right around the time that 'Freddy vs. Jason' and ['Candyman vs. Leprechaun'] came across my desk. I saw it and said, 'I'm never going to be involved in something like that.' 'I respect the character. Once a horror character becomes some kind of icon [like Candyman], reluctantly or not, you have to treat them with respect.'

Todd understands that the Candyman has gained great cultural significance. The most recent sequel to "Candyman," released in 2021 and also called "Candyman," saw a lot of sociological context forced upon the character, transforming him from something specific into a universal symbol of black pain. Carvell Wallace wrote very eloquently about the film for the Atlantic in 2021.