‘Hellboy’ Getting R-Rated Reboot With ‘Stranger Things’ Star David Harbour
“Hellboy” is getting an R-rated reboot, and original director and star Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman aren’t along for the ride. The comic book’s creator, Mike Mignola, made the announcement on his Facebook page on Monday. The Hollywood Reporter then confirmed that “The Descent” director Neil Marshall in on board to helm the reboot of the dark fantasy superhero film, from a script by Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden and Mignola. “Stranger Things” actor David Harbour is in talks to star in the title role. The project has a working title of “Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen.”
Millennium Films is in negotiations to board the project, with producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin. Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Entertainment is also producing. If the deal goes through, Millenium would be the third studio to make a Hellboy film in as many releases.
Created by Mignola in 1993, the comic book tells the story of a demon who is rescued from the Nazis and raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. He works for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense fighting monsters, ghosts and Nazis. The first film adaptation was co-written and directed by Del Toro, with Perlman starring as “Hellboy.” The movie was made by Revolution Studios and released by Sony in 2004, grossing $99.3 million worldwide. The duo teamed up again for a second installment, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” which was made by Universal. The film was released in 2008 and grossed $160.3 million worldwide.
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In January, Del Toro teased a possible third film by posting an “informal poll” on Twitter with the response options being only “Yes” and “Hell, yes.” In a second tweet, del Toro had said that if 100,000 votes came in 24 hours, he would sit down with franchise creator Mike Mignola and lead actor Ron Perlman to talk about a possible sequel. By the time the poll closed, it had 132,938 votes. However, in February, the filmmaker announced that “100% the sequel will not happen.” In the end, producers opted for a reboot and relaunch of the franchise, and Del Toro and Perlman will not be part of it.
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