An ingenious idea offers how one of the greatest comic book sequels that was never made could rise from the ashes

News of yet another Hellboy reboot was greeted with little more than shrug of apathy, with David Harbour’s risible attempt at reinventing Big Red only 50 percent of the problem.

Any fresh take on the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is always going to struggle to win over the doubters for the sole reason that it won’t be directed by Guillermo del Toro and star Ron Perlman. The duo’s two Hellboy movies may not have been box office sensations, but they were a long way away from being flops, and they each won rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Instead of allowing them to complete their trilogy, the call was made to hand Neil Marshall the reins for one of the worst reboots of all-time, before another stab was plunged into development earlier this year. As much as del Toro and Perlman held onto any shreds of hope for as long as they could, the Hellboy III dream is officially over. Or is it?

Yes, it probably is, but one suggestion hailing from the forums of Reddit is well worth mentioning. Having just scooped another Academy Award for Netflix’s Pinocchio, the ingenious suggestion offers that if Hellboy can exist in multiple mediums at the same time – as proven by the late Lance Reddick’s upcoming video game – then why can’t GDT’s third chapter be a stop-motion film?

Rights issues and money are likely the answer, but now that a stop-motion Hellboy III has been said out loud, it’s proving a very difficult thing to let go of, because the possibilities are endless.