After more than seven years of speculation, directorGuillermo del Tororevealed in February that his quest to makeHellboy 3has ended, declaring the project officially dead. While they were not exactly box office juggernauts, 2004’sHellboyand 2008’sHellboy II: The Golden Army, which both starred Ron Perlman as the title character, gained a fervent fan base, who were clamoring for a third and final installment to round out the trilogy. Last month, it was revealed that a reboot is in the works, with Neil Marshall (The Descent,Game of Thrones) directing and David Harbour (Stranger Things) portraying the title character. Guillermo del Toro recently revealed that he has no ill will towards this reboot.
The originalHellboymovie came out in 2004, which was beloved by fans and critics (81% on Rotten Tomatoes) alike, but it didn’t make a huge dent at the box office. The adaptation ofMike Mingolla’s comic book seriesonly took in $59.6 million domestic and $99.3 million worldwide, from a $66 million budget. The 2008 follow-upHellboy II: The Golden Armyfared a bit better, but was still no blockbuster, taking in $75.9 million domestic and $160.3 million worldwide, from an $85 million budget.The Hollywood Reportercaught up with Guillermo del Toro at the Annency Animation Festival, where the filmmaker revealed he was grateful that he was able to make twoHellboymovies in the first place. Here’s what he had to say, when asked about the reboot.
“I don’t ownHellboy, Mike [Mignola] does. So, you know, he is the father of the character and if he wants to reboot it, it’s perfectly fine. I got to make two, that’s two more than I thought I would get to make. So you know, as far as I’m concerned god speed and god bless.”
Guillermo del Toro wasn’t the only one wishing the reboot well. Last week, comedian Patton Oswalt arranged a “summit dinner” in New York with himself, the originalHellboy,Ron Perlmanand the newHellboy, David Harbour, with a photo of all three that quickly went viral. Ron Perlman revealed on his Instagram that he wished David Harbour the best of luck, and the very next day, David Harbour posted a photo of himself meeting with Mike Mingola and director Neil Marshall, along with another image of him getting fitted for his “Right Hand of Doom.”
Hellboy writerAndrew Crosby teased shortly after theHellboyreboot announcement that he had already finished the screenplay, which he called “dark and gruesome.” The writer also teased that director Neil Marshall had told him he wanted to “walk a razor’s edge between horror and comic book movie” with this redo, which has been titledHellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. While no release date has been set at this time, we have reported that production may begin as early as September, which hasn’t been confirmed, but it makes sense since David Harbour is already getting fitted for the “Right Hand of Doom.” As for Guillermo del Toro, his next movieThe Shape of Waterwill hit theaters in December, with the filmmaker teasing that he still wants to make his long-rumoredPinocchioproject as well.
