David K. Harbour is asking reporters to stop pestering former Hellboy star Ron Perlman about the Hellboy reboot. Perlman defined the role of Big Red with his longtime collaborator Guillermo del Toro in 2004's Hellboy, and the director and star reteamed for the film's sequel Hellboy: The Golden Army in 2008. While Perlman and del Toro's working relationship has endured over the years – beginning with del Toro's feature film debut Cronos in 1993, and more recently teaming up for 2013's Pacific Rim – a third Hellboy film was not meant to be, despite del Toro's valiant efforts to make it happen.
Naturally, fans of del Toro and Perlman's Hellboy films were shocked in May when Hellboy comic creator Mike Mignola announced that the Hellboy franchise was being rebooted with an R rating, and with Stranger Things star Harbour in the title role. Not surprisingly, fans and the press were anxious to get Perlman's thoughts on the reboot, and after seven months of questions being fired at Perlman, Harbour is pleading with reporters to leave him alone.
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In a new THR interview with Harbour about the massive success of Stranger Things, the conversation eventually turned to the Hellboy reboot and the photo of Harbor and Perlman having dinner together in June, which was organized by fellow actor Patton Oswalt. Harbour talked about the dinner meeting with the man who made Hellboy a big screen icon, and also made a plea to reporters about the endless questions about the reboot. He says:
"We went out to dinner with my buddy Patton Oswalt, we had a conversation. He’s an amazing guy and super sweet, was wishing me well. And then he says something like, ‘Just have fun.’ Which is something I need to remember when I work because I’m so intense. And the other thing I will say for reporters everywhere, in honor of his request: stop asking Ron Perlman about the Hellboy reboot, please stop asking him about that. I get it. He’s answered the questions. Leave the man alone!"
When a franchise as beloved as Hellboy becomes so popular, it's only natural for reporters and fans of it to wonder what's going on in the minds of those who created it, so it doesn't come as a big surprise that people were bugging Perlman and del Toro about it shortly after the announcement.
Since then, both del Toro and Perlman have obliged and answered the questions, but ultimately Harbour is right: it's time to move on. At this point, no reporter should feel like they're getting a big scoop from either Perlman or del Toro on the Hellboy reboot, because whatever they've said about it in the past will only be rehashed in the future. The franchise belongs to Harbour and director Neil Marshall now, and reporters should be looking ahead to that film instead of back at the others.
True, there's a clear chemistry between del Toro and Perlman when the two work together, so perhaps the line of questioning should turn to what they may be collaborating on next. With any luck, they'll create something as classic as the Hellboy films together that will one day be rebooted as well – and reporters can start bugging the creative duo about their thoughts on that instead.
NEXT: Hellboy Reboot is a 'Dark and Scary' Monster Movie, Says David Harbour
Source: THR
