There was somewhat understandable outrage at the notion that Guillermo del Toro's plans for more Hellboy movies had been scuppered by a new cinematic reboot of the concept. Now the latest man playing the title character, Stranger Things' David Harbour, has expressed his hopes for the new movie.
"It’s a character that I love, and sort of in the way, I think (creator) Mike Mignola and a bunch of other people saw me in Stranger Things and wanted me to play Hellboy and I think he has some parallels to him," he told The Wrap at an event for the show. "I think he’s another complicated anti-hero who is not strictly good or bad, he’s just trying to do the right thing. I think he’s a demon, he’s crazy, and he’s also sweet and vulnerable and neurotic, so there’s a lot of complexity there."
The new movie has Neil Marshall directing and should be kicking off its shoot in September, with Mignola and Andrew Cosby providing the script and an R-rating as the aim. "So often, the superhero movies can be really fun and I want this to be really fun, but I also want it to be more of a character piece and more about this dude’s struggle. I think it could be interesting,” Harbour adds. “I don’t know, I just hope we make a good movie. We’ll see. You be the judge!" We'd argue that del Toro never skimped on the character beats, but we're willing to see what Marshall and co. come up with.
And in case you thought the original cinematic Hellboy, Ron Perlman, might be coming after Harbour, rest easy. Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt held a meeting for the pair, and all seems to have passed convivially. Of course, maybe they fought over the bill.
Hellboy: Rise Of The Blood Queen, as the reboot is currently known, doesn't yet have a confirmed release date.