After we were led to believe that we’d probably never get another Hellboy movie, there’s been yet another twist in this crazy rollercoaster ride we call Hellboy fandom.
It was less than three months ago that Guillermo del Toro, the man behind Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), was informing his fans that he had given up trying to convince the necessary parties to allow him to make a third movie in the series. Now though, one of those parties, namely Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, has revealed that the cigar-smoking demon will be returning to the big screen after all….but there’s a catch.
Okay, here’s some news–
There IS going to be another HELLBOY MOVIE.
It’s going to be an R rated reboot directed by…Posted by artofmikemignola.com on Monday, 8 May 2017
That’s right, it would appear that instead of continuing a series that fans loved, Mignola is preparing to completely reboot the Hellboy movie franchise with new talent behind and in front of the camera. Ron Perlman is to be replaced as the titular hero by David Harbour of Stranger Things fame, while Guillermo del Toro makes way for Neil Marshall in the director’s chair.
Though del Toro’s The Golden Army movie failed to impress at the box office, his Hellboy movies have grown to secure cult status among fans. But, Mignola is thought to have been unhappy with the Mexican filmmaker’s light-hearted approach to his character and was reportedly unwilling to see the series continue in that vein. Instead, Mignola envisaged bringing Hellboy back with more of the dark tones that are present in his comicbook work, and it’s this vision that has ultimately won out.
Between the del Toro movies and the Mignola comics, Hellboy has evolved to become a beloved pop culture figure with fans all around the globe. It’s a shame, therefore, that those two versions of Hellboy‘s world haven’t been able to work together in a way those fans would ideally like. Sure, the two movies weren’t as faithful to Mignola’s work as they could have been, but Perlman is considered by many fans as ‘their Hellboy’ and both Hellboy and Hellboy II were comicbook movies of the highest quality.
Still, more Hellboy will always be something worth looking forward to. He’s got big boots to fill, but David Harbour is a top actor and, when you take a step back to think about it, he’s brilliantly equipped to play this character.
How are you feeling about these developments? Let us know in the box below.
