Ron Perlman has made peace with the forthcoming Hellboy reboot, the actor has confirmed. Fans of Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy movies were crushed when the director confirmed at the beginning of 2017 that his planned third movie was “100%” not going to happen. While del Toro’s Hellboy movies weren’t massive in terms of box office, they attracted a loyal fanbase thanks to the colorful characters, the mythology of the world and del Toro’s imaginative direction.
The director had always planned to make a trilogy with the character and Hellboy 3 would have been the darkest of all, with Hellboy having to face up to his apocalyptic heritage. del Toro admitted this third movie would have needed a hefty budget to realize, but he had trouble enticing studios to pick up the bill. Shortly after the director announced the third movie’s demise, a reboot fronted by Stranger Things star David Harbour was confirmed.
While original Hellboy star Ron Perlman is disappointed he’ll never get to play “Big Red” again, he’s accepted that fact. In a recent Reddit AMA to promote his Crackle series StartUp, the actor was once again asked how he felt about the reboot, in light of the recent photos of Harbour in character. The actor’s response was to the point:
"I've made my peace with it. I refuse to answer any questions about it."
While it would have been terrific to see a reunion between del Toro, Perlman, Selma Blair and the rest of the cast for one final Hellboy, it became disappointingly clear as the years passed it was unlikely. del Toro’s plate was always full with other projects, and his comments regarding another Hellboy always suggested financing was an issue. It still came as a blow to those who invested in his version of the character; even if it wasn’t a huge surprise.
The upcoming reboot will have a lot of work to do to inspire the same fandom as del Toro’s movies, but it seems to be on the right track. Harbour is inspired casting, and his photos show he certainly looks the part. Director Neil Marshall is an old hand at horror and fantasy, having directed The Descent, Dog Soldiers and two acclaimed Game Of Thrones episodes – “Blackwater” and “The Watchers On The Wall.” The R-rated tone means it will have a harder edge than previous movies, and the supporting cast – including Daniel Dae Kim, Milla Jovovich and Ian McShane – is shaping up nicely.
Time will tell if audiences warm to the Hellboy reboot, so hopefully it will prove to be a fresh, worthy take on the character.
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Source: Reddit
