The Hellboy Drought is Finally Over
For Hellboy fans like myself, word of the upcoming series reboot was bittersweet. Though Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) were only modest box office successes, since their releases they developed large cult followings who still aren’t ready for their beloved series to go off into the night.
Directed by Academy Award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro, the Hellboy films struck the perfect balance between horror and adventure, comedy and pathos. But GDT is a writer, director, producer, artist, and scholar who keeps a lot of pokers in the fire. It’s been a decade since the series’ last entry, and with each passing year, the potential for a third film became less likely.
A reboot had to happen sooner or later. And since it’s happening anyway, the film could do a lot worse than casting Stranger Things’ star David Harbour in the lead role. If you are still on the fence about Hellboy 2019, there are a few more reasons to have faith in the production. The first is the casting. In addition to Harbour, Hellboy features genre movie queen Milla Jovovich and the legend known as Ian McShane. Throw in Sophie Okonedo, Daniel Dae Kim, and Sasha Lane in supporting roles, and suddenly this cast is better than a movie about a horn-headed demon needs to be. Check out the trailer below:
And here’s the film’s official synopsis on IMDb:
Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.
There’s one more big reason to get pumped about this new take on Hellboy; that’s the film’s director Neil Marshall. If his name doesn’t ring a bell his work certainly will. Marshall directed Blackwater, one of Game of Thrones’ best episodes. He’s also the filmmaker behind The Descent, one of the most highly regarded horror films of this century. This man has the goods, and he’s earned the cred to step behind the camera and put his own spin on the Hellboy series.
This reboot looks like it doesn’t take itself too seriously while also respecting the dark source material. It’s snarky, features impressive visuals and imaginative creatures, and doesn’t hold back on the gore. After seeing the cast in action, I’m finally warming up to this reboot.
SIDENOTE: If you want to unearth a little-known horror gem, track down a copy/stream of Marshall’s 2002 horror flick, Dog Soldiers.
Hellboy arrives in theatres on April 12, 2019.