Hellboy creator Mike Mignola recently shared the news that a new Hellboy movie is in the works from The Descent and Game of Thrones director Neil Marshall. The film will apparently be a reboot of the series, as not only will Marshall replace Guillermo del Toro behind the camera, but the title role of Hellboy himself has been recast with none other than Stranger Things star David Harbour stepping into the part previously occupied by Ron Perlman.
No doubt the news will come as quite a surprise to fans as del Toro recently put the kibosh on any hopes of a Hellboy 3 after an outpouring of support for the director and star on social media led to him trying one last time to get a third film made. Where del Toro was unsuccessful Marshall was apparently not, as this reboot is apparently far enough along that it has gone and found a replacement for fan-favorite actor Perlman. The extent to which the project has progressed is largely unknown, however, as Mignola provided only the most pertinent details – that of director and star, obviously – but it does not go into detail as to the writer(s) or even the studio that is producing the film. Read his announcement below:
In addition to the news of Marshall and Harbour jumping on to the project, the biggest detail in Mignola's announcement is certainly the R rating the film is apparently aiming for. Given the recent spate of successful R-rated comic book films over the last two years -- Deadpool, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and most recently, Logan -- it's not too surprising to see the studio and the filmmakers looking to capitalize on that recent trend by bringing the horror-based Hellboy and the rest of the B.P.R.D. (presumably) into a more mature arena.
That news seems fitting, as the project also appears ready to capitalize on the horror bona fides of its chosen director and star. In addition to his stellar TV work on the aforementioned Game of Thrones, Marshall has also brought his talents to the very dark and violent Hannibal, Constantine, and Westworld, while his feature film work delivered two notable horror films with The Descent and the underrated werewolf feature, Dog Soldiers.
Harbour has a good thing going for him with his starring role in Netflix's creepy Stranger Things, but the actor definitely faces and uphill battle with fans, as he'll be stepping in for an actor who as recently as a few months ago seemed ready to step back into the red makeup once again. Thankfully, Harbour's earned a legion of fans for his TV work, which, though it might not be enough to immediately get fans of Perlman and del Toro's films on his side, will likely be enough to get a whole new audience introduced to Mignola's hellish monster slayer.
Next: Guillermo del Toro: Hellboy 3 ‘100%’ Not Happening
Screen Rant will have more details for you regarding the Hellboy reboot as they are made available.
Source: Mike Mignola