By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
Studios desiring a higher profit margin is most likely behind the reason Hellboy is being rebooted. I can not and will not accept anyone other than Ron Perlman to play the title role. When news broke Monday night about this Columbia Pictures distributed film getting a second life, please pardon my french, “F*** No!” Since the business heads could not come eye-to-eye with Guillermo del Toro‘s pitch and the production costs involved (yes, he’s famously known to go over budget), don’t stab this director in the back by saying we’ll simply reboot it with Neil Marshall helming the second incarnation like this series can be changed around like Doctor Who.
Marshall has modest hits like Descent and Dog Soldiers to show he has the chops, but I do not think he has the comic book cred to pull off an R-rated version. Whether that means more blood or scarier content, that remains to be seen as no proper word is given if he will also be part of the script-writing team.
I’m questioning how effective David Harbour will be in the title role. Although he is fantastic in Stranger Things, to have past fans compare him to Ron Perlman’s take is inevitable. The bar has been set and Harbour has a huge obstacle to overcome if this new imagining is to succeed.
Ultimately, the fate is in the hands of Mike Mignola. This property is his baby and nobody else. I’m hoping he is not being pampered by the bosses from Hollywood to sell out. Del Toro did his best and Hellboy should be put to rest. There’s no need for further attempts because the masses are now gaga since R-rated films (i.e. Logan and Deadpool) are big sellers these days.
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