Well this is a bit of unexpected news.
It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost a decade since the second Guillermo del Toro HELLBOY movie hit theaters in 2008 (the first was in 2004). While HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY wasn’t a huge financial success, it still left the hardcore fans wanting more, and both Ron Perlman and del Toro were constantly asked if we’d ever see a sequel. Guillermo even stated recently that the chances were more than slim, likely no chance at all that he and Perlman would revisit the franchise. But a comic book character that wildly popular can’t stay dead for long, and now it looks as if Millennium is negotiating with producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin to produce a new take on the supernatural superhero. Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Entertainment would produce should it happen. The Hollywood Reporter has some juicy info on the deal, and HELLBOY creator Mike Mignola actually announced the news himself on social media.
But this new take would not utilize Ron Perlman or Guillermo del Toro, instead signing on Neil Marshall as director (THE DESCENT, also GAME OF THRONES), and there’s already a tentative title – HELLBOY: RISE OF THE BLOOD QUEEN. The working story is written by Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola, which means Mignola has probably been staying tight-lipped about this for a while now. It’s said that STRANGER THINGS star David Harbour is currently in talks to play Hellboy. Harbour was recently rumored as a favorite casting choice for the mutant “Cable” in DEADPOOL 2, but that role went to Josh Brolin. Some have wondered why the studio change, but those folks may not remember the first HELLBOY movie was produced by Revolution Studios and released by Sony Pictures, and the second was helmed by Universal Pictures. So Millennium would actually be the third major studio to get behind a HELLBOY production.
I’m conflicted on how to feel about this, mainly because it’s hard to imagine a HELLBOY film without del Toro and Perlman involved. But then again I like David Harbour, and Neil Marshall, and this is being touted as an R-rated take on the character, so there’s an opportunity to go really dark with it and play off the horror elements in a way we haven’t seen before. Also, as much as I love what Ron brought to that character, he’s pushing 70 now, and was already having to use a stuntman rather heavily in HELLBOY II (which, again, was a decade ago), so he may be fine not having to go under heavy makeup at this point. Marshall is said to be working on a script for the production with Aron Coleite, and will also be producing. So what do you think about all this? Are you ready for an all-new and very different Hellboy on the big screen? Tell us in the comments below.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
