It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Hellboy fans lately. Several months ago, Guillermo del Toro got our hopes up by saying that a third instalment in his series was looking likely. That didn’t last too long, however, as a month later the director announced that despite his best efforts, it just wasn’t going to happen. Thankfully, then, some bittersweet news arrived the other week when we learned that the character would be coming back to the big screen, just in a different form.
As you no doubt know by now, Hellboy is being rebooted, with director Neil Marshall at the helm and David Harbour playing the titular hero. It was an announcement that came out of left field and while it wasn’t the same as getting a third outing from del Toro, fans were just happy that Red was going to see the inside of a theatre again. Plus, the R-rating and darker and more gruesome take on the character which we’ve been promised is definitely exciting and has us looking forward to seeing how this reboot turns out.
But what does Ron Perlman, who played Hellboy in the first two films, think of all this? Well, as it so happens, he’s more than happy to see Harbour taking over the role, and wishes him nothing but the best. During a panel at Motor City Comic Con this weekend, here’s what the actor said when asked for his thoughts on the reboot.
“David Harbour is a good dude. I wish him nothing but the best when it comes to the retooling of HB.”
Perhaps more interesting, however, is what Perlman had to say when asked what him and del Toro had planned for Hellboy 3:
“The third one was meant to be epic and conclusive and a resolve for all these, almost, Greek oracle promises of the destiny of Hellboy. It would’ve made for a really good movie, I think.”
We have to agree with the actor here. Whatever it is that him and Guillermo del Toro had cooked up for the final film in their trilogy, you can bet that it would have been damn good. After all, Hellboy and Hellboy: The Golden Army are two of the genre’s finest efforts, so there’s no reason to think the threequel would have been any different. Unfortunately, we’ll now never get to see it and instead have to settle for the reboot instead.
Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, mind you. Sure, it’s not the same as getting Hellboy 3, but the property returning to the big screen can only be a good thing and the people being brought in to make it happen (Harbour and Marshall) are certainly talented individuals. We’ll continue to keep a close eye on the reboot as it continues to develop, but as of now, you can color us optimistic.