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Hellboy has long been one of my favorite comics. The characters were excellent, the story and setting pulled me right in and I quickly got caught up in the adventures of the B.P.R.D. Thus, I was understandably ecstatic when the movie released in 2004 starring Ron Perlman with Guillermo del Torro directing and writing the script. Del Torro brought his unique imagination from Pan’s Labyrinth to the dark world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy series. Perlman brought his larger than life persona to the title character and defined Hellboy for well over a decade, going so far as to don the character’s makeup for Make A Wish Foundation. Needless to say, Hellboy and the sequel Hellboy 2: The Golden Army are both my list of favorite movies and are always on my shelf for a lazy weekend afternoon movie fest. I, like so many others, have been waiting for another live action Hellboy movie for 10 years now. Soaking up every enticing tidbit dropped by Guillermo del Torro or Ron Perlman while I hoped against hope for another great Hellboy movie. The wait is finally over…kind of. Hellboy opens on January 11, 2019 just not with del Torro and Perlman. Here are the details so far:
Who’s out
Guillermo del Torro will not be directing or working on the script. And if you’re feeling a little disappointed right now, I know them feels. I do. Fans have been hoping for del Torro to return to the franchise and finish his story. And as exciting as the idea of a new movie is, it’s disappointing that the conclusion to del Torro’s vision for the franchise will be left hanging. After all, it was him who kept fans clamoring for another movie. Ron Perlman as Hellboy. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Say it isn’t so! I wish I could, but I can’t. I’m having a bit of a hard time with this but am soldering through because I’m so excited about this project overall. Selma Blair as Liz Sherman. She’s not being replaced. Liz isn’t in the new story.
Who’s in
Neil Marshal is directing. He directed Descent as well as several episodes of Game of Thrones. He has a history in the horror genre and his experience with GoT guarantees he has the dark and gritty vision needed for the franchise. Mike Mignola on the script. The creator of the series working on the reboot is always a promising sign. David Harbour as Hellboy. Harbour is a hot topic right now thanks to the popularity of Stranger Things. His portrayal of wise-cracking Chief Hopper in Stranger Things makes me hopeful he can capture Hellboy’s dry and sarcastic humor.
David Harbour as Hellboy img: imdb.com
Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm. Hot off the set of American Gods, Ian McShane will be playing the part of Hellboy’s adopted father replacing the late John Hurt. I’m excited about this and can’t wait to see what he brings to the character. Mila Jovovich as The Blood Queen. I love Mila in everything she does. I can’t help it. She’s a true goddess of geek. Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio. Kim was most recently on the new Hawaii 5-0. He’s a great action star and will deliver a great performance without a doubt. Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan. Lane takes Blair’s place as leading lady opposite Hellboy.
Other news
This installment is reportedly going to be a darker version than del Torro’s first two films and is expected to have an R rating. As much as I loved the first two movies, I always wished they were R rated. I felt they couldn’t push the envelope as far with a PG-13 rating. So this is great news for an exciting (and bloody) jaunt into Mignola’s gritty universe.
Ron Perlman won’t even be making a cameo. And I don’t blame him. While there doesn’t seem to be any animosity toward Harbour for taking over as Hellboy, Perlman cut all ties. He displayed his good will and wished his successor luck in a dinner hosted by Patton Oswald. Honestly, Perlman’s Hellboy is legendary. He made his mark and brought to life one of the coolest comic book heroes to grace the silver screen. He has an imposing presence, an untouchable attitude that translated to the character very well. And while Harbour is a great smartass, he lacks Perlman’s characteristic toughness and comes off as kind of goofy instead. I’m interested to see how Harbour handles his new role. He has some big shoes to fill.
This is a reboot and not a continuation of the first two movies. Though del Torro and Perlman both campaigned for a third Hellboy movie to finish out the trilogy, their project was passed over because del Torro wanted more money than the studio was willing to give. Instead this Hellboy will be Dark Horse’s first reboot and follow events in “The Wild Hunt” and “The Storm and the Fury.”
So there you have it. What’s what with Hellboy. We’ll keep everyone updated as news becomes available. Tell us what you think in the comments!
I found Harbour believable as a small town sheriff who easily beats up government agents. LOL – but even so, if he’s going to walk around a movie shirtless he’s going to have to get into better shape. And Stranger Things starred children; I suspect if Hellboy had a lot of kids in the movie, Perlman would have been softer in the role, too.
But even when Perlman is softer he still has that presence. For instance The City of Lost Children. I think Harbour is great and can pull off the humor of Hellboy. I’m wondering if he can pull off the grit.
But having said all that, I am tired of rebooting movies before the other movies have done what they can do. Rebooting Star Trek was fine; it seems like most Star Trek movies are just rebooting TV shows anyway.
I agree. It’s getting out of hand. This is a particularly painful reboot for me because I really wanted del Torro to finish his story.