To no one's surprise, the Hellboy reboot star David Harbour (Stranger Things) has confirmed that there are no plans for any Hellboy sequels in the future. Based on the Dark Horse comic books of the same name by graphic artist Mike Mignola, the reboot was directed by Neil Marshall and, alongside Harbour, stars Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, and Sasha Lane (American Honey).
Unfortunately for all involved, the Hellboy reboot seemed doomed from the start. Many Hellboy fans had concerns that the reboot wouldn’t live up to the standard set by Guillermo del Toro’s much-loved Hellboy movies, and those concerns proved justified. Marshall’s reboot was a resounding flop after its April release and found itself on the receiving end of of brutal reviews and currently holds a 17 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a box office bomb, too, grossing a paltry $46 million worldwide against its $50 million production budget.
From the critics’ reaction to its poor box office performance, it seemed pretty clear that the likelihood of a Hellboy sequel was slim to none even if the movie’s post-credit scenes looked like they were setting the stage for sequel. Now, Hellboy fans have heard it from the horse’s mouth after Harbour, who recently admitted the Hellboy reboot had major flaws, confirmed with ComicBook that there is no sequel on the horizon. He said:
"I don't think there'll be much of a light. There's a lot of people who reach out to me who really loved it and really enjoyed the new take, and were just happy to see him back on the screen. But I know in the culture at large, I don't think it was very well received."
Although Harbour stated he doesn’t keep track of things like box office performance, he did address Hellboy’s disappointing worldwide gross, stating:
"I don't think it made a lot of money. I don't really keep up with those things too much to be honest, but I don't think the perception was that it was a hit; and so, in that way, I don't know that the risk is worth it. I think the idea is to move on. The producers spoke to me just saying 'Great job;' they really liked what I did, but I haven't heard anything about a sequel, and I'm not hanging my hat on anything like that."
Harbour’s statements come shortly after Hellboy creator Mike Mignola debunked a rumor that yet another reboot was in the works at Netflix. After how the reboot fared following its release, it’s really no wonder that Lionsgate is keen to wash their hands of Hellboy, and it makes sense that another company like Netflix might be wary of rebooting the property after its recent performance too.
However, Milla Jovovich, who played the reboot’s villain Nimue the Blood Queen, has high hopes for the latest Hellboy. The actress took to Instagram and pointed out that many of her earlier films - including the likes of Dazed and Confused and The Fifth Element - were either panned or performed poorly at the box office only to become regarded as classics later on. Citing the talents of Hellboy’s cast and crew as evidence, Jovovich concluded that the Hellboy reboot is destined to become a cult classic too. Whether Jovovich’s prediction will come true remains to be seen.
Source: ComicBook, Milla Jovovich