The Hollywood Reporter is telling us tonight that Hellboy is getting a reboot, with Stranger Things star David Harbour set to play the titular hero. Neither Guillermo del Toro or Ron Perlman – who brought the original two films to life – will be involved with this new take on the property, which is currently titled Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. Instead, Neil Marshall (The Descent) is being eyed to direct with Andrew Cosby on scripting duties.
First created by Mike Mignola in 1993, the character is a “demon raised by a professor, working to fight supernatural evildoers for an organization called Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.” His first film adaptation came in 2004 courtesy of Del Toro and while fans and critics seemed to enjoy it, it was only a modest box office hit. The sequel, while also well received, didn’t do big business, either. At least, not big enough to send a third film into production.
Still, over the years, rumors persisted that Del Toro would one day get to make Hellboy 3, but the director finally shut down the speculation back in February, saying that it just wasn’t going to come to fruition. Instead, the property will now be rebooted with Marshall and Harbour leading the way. There’s no word yet on what the plot may entail, but Mignola has promised that more details will be revealed soon, so stay tuned.
Though this is hardly as good as getting a Hellboy 3, it’s nice to hear that the character isn’t gone from the big screen for good. He may not have the popularity as some of Marvel or DC’s heroes, but Hellboy is a great property and with two talented individuals like Marshall and Harbour working on this new take, he can definitely flourish in the current cinematic climate.
