Ron Perlman Not Keen On Returning As Big Red For Hellboy 3

Ron Perlman may believe he owes the world a fitting conclusion for Hellboy 3, but that doesn’t mean the actor is particularly keen when it comes to donning the make-up and horns once again as the beloved Big Red.

Whilst promoting his Amazon series Hand of God during a TCA panel, the Sons of Anarchy fan-favorite admitted that, despite drumming up support for the elusive threequel, the thought of reprising his title role as the half-demon is “a pain in the ass.” That’s not to say that the actor is ruling himself out of the part; rather, it’s frank assessment from Perlman who hasn’t played Mike Mignola’s cigar-chomping badass in almost eight years.

Here’s the latest update from the man himself.

“Let me make the record clear,” Perlman said. “I don’t want to do Hellboy 3. It’s a pain in the ass to put that makeup on and take it off. But I feel we’re obligated to finish the story. That’s it. End of conversation. I got no problems with forcing the conversation, as you can tell,” Perlman said. “We’re in the business of moving mountains. Those of us who are used to working in mainstream film and television. Don’t come to me with details and problems. Just tell me how we move the mountain.”

With Columbia and Universal both passing on the long-gestating threequel, the already slim chances of Hellboy 3 becoming a reality are fading – and fast. Couple this with the fact that Ron Perlman is now in his 60s and you have a window of time that is closer faster than anyone would like. Then again, Perlman himself has claimed that there is “no cut off” when it comes to returning to the cult series, though it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where the sequel lands in theaters anytime after 2018.

Fitting conclusion or not, it’s unlikely that Perlman and Guillermo del Toro can pull off the seemingly insurmountable task of financing a threequel, particularly when you factor in that the two ruled out Kickstarter and other forms of crowdfunding. Traditionally, Hellboy has never been a film to light up the box office numbers, and that’s ultimately had a detrimental effect on the chances of a threequel.

Hellboy 3 has and will remain high on our wanted list – though whether the stars align for Perlman and Del Toro to make a return is now teetering toward wishful thinking.