Hellboy Reboot Will Be Different From All Others In One Important Way
The upcoming Hellboy reboot is going to be set in the 1950s, according to the director, featuring a younger demon wandering Appalachia in a film version of the comic's Crooked Man arc.
Recent news of an upcoming Hellboy reboot has fans feeling cautiously optimistic. After the 2019 David Harbour-led reboot left much to be desired, director Brian Taylor specified the new film would serve as a complete reset, focussing on the character’s origins in folk horror. During a recent interview with Collider, Taylor stated “More lean and mean, creepy folk horror… For me it’s my favorite version of the character. So the appeal of this one to me, is to go back to that and do a real reset, and really give us that version of Hellboy, which I just don’t think we’ve seen yet.”
Hellboy was created by writer and artist Mike Mignola in 1993 and is described as a demon summoned from hell by cultists who set out on the path to help others, sometimes operating within the niche of a superhero. After being expertly brought to life by Ron Perlman in Guillermo Del Toro‘s Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, fans were nonplussed to see the 2019 reboot failing to live up to the hype of the previous film installments. The iconic character has become a fan favorite throughout the years, with the series’ complex moral code and dark world-building drawing crowds of intrigued readers and viewers.
Brian Taylor, perhaps best known for his work on high-octane action films such as Crank and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, will be helming the new Hellboy reboot, titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man. As an avid fan of the character’s comic book origins, his promise to faithfully adapt the fan-favorite demon to the big screen excites fans, despite the disappointment of the previous attempt. The Crooked Man is a long-standing favorite arc from Hellboy, expertly combining the characters’ trademark darkness with the adventurous spirit that would make a feature film pop perfectly.
The comic series saw Hellboy wander the streets of Appalachia in the gritty 1950s, during an era of Cold War violence simmering beneath the surface. After teaming up with Tom Ferrell, a man embroiled in an underground world of witchcraft and demonic sacrifice, Hellboy must contend with disturbing communities of cannibals, murderers, and even nazis, who seek to bring harm to the living world through pacts with the devil. If the Hellboy reboot seeks to replicate the scope of this disturbing arc truly, fans can likely expect an R rating for the Brian Taylor-led film.
Now, news of the Hellboy reboot is still incredibly fresh, and no casting information is currently available. Of course, fans are clamoring for a cameo appearance from the legendary Ron Pearlman, though the actor is far too old to portray the younger version of Hellboy, which Taylor seeks to bring to life. David Harbour may also make for a fascinating appearance in the film, as the actor maintains a lot of fanfare within the moviegoing community, despite the missteps of his Hellboy film. For now, only time will tell, but Taylor’s comments make it clear that the beloved character is in good hands.
