Back in June early negotiations began between Millennium studios and Larry Gordon to produce an R-rated reboot of the Hellboy franchise. At the time, Stranger Things star David Harbour was the rumoured frontrunner to play big red and Neil Marshall was attached to direct. The initial buzz initiated by this announcement has dwindled steadily since then, that is until a swell of reports popped up this week declaring Lionsgate has arrived at the end of negotiations to distribute the film with a shooting date as early as this fall. David Harbour is still set to star, Marshall is still set to direct and the formerly working title of Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen is now the official title of the project.
Marshall took to the Post Mortem podcast to emphasize the change of direction for the franchise. Guillermo Del Toro’s turn at the dark horse staple was well received by both critics and fans of the comic book series, though Marshall seems to suggest his film will cater to a more mature audience. Here’s what he had to say in regards to films like Deadpool paving the way for this reboot's freedom to take on a grittier tone:
“We can make the movie we want to make. It’s not like I’m gonna force it to be rated R, but if it happens to come out that way, just because of my own sensibilities, then fine. And nobody's gonna stop us,” he told Post Mortem. “So that’s the main difference. And I’m sure the success of things like Deadpool and Logan have not hurt that cause, but also when you go back, the original material, it is kind of bloody, so I’m going to embrace that.”
So there you have it, Hellboy is getting a “bloody” reboot, a mere nine years after his last live action romp. I’m as aware as you probably are that the “Ugh, another reboot!” grouse has become as trite as it is unavailing at this point, but does this not feel like the kind of cynical studio sifting that usually ends up spelling disaster for projects like this? I hope I’m wrong but in my opinion Hellboy is not a property that is in need of a reinterpretation, certainly not this soon.
Del Toro’s Hellboy films made a comfy home smack dab in the middle of the second super hero boom. The first entry was released the same year as the iconic Spider-Man 2, and the second the same year as Iron Man and The Dark Knight. They weren’t the biggest box office draws but they also didn’t aim to be. They made good on a modest budget, with an infinite amount of charm and masterful practical effects. Ron Perlman is as synonymous with the demonic wisecracker as Christopher Reeves is to Superman, so that when all possibilities of a Hellboy 3 died, sufficient time should’ve been allotted to allow the character to reset itself. I could very well be wrong, in fact I hope I am, but Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen just smells of corporate chicanery.
