For an awful long time, it looked certain that Guillermo del Toro would be the one to summon forth a new Hellboy film, one that would place Ron Perlman in the title role for a third (and perhaps final?) time.
Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Between them, del Toro and his frequent collaborator Ron Perlman engineered two cult classics in Hellboy and its somewhat divisive sequel, The Golden Army, and despite a long, meandering campaign staged by the IP’s impassioned fanbase, both director and star walked away from the supernatural series after a last-ditch meeting with franchise mastermind Mike Magnolia yielded no feasible options for a future instalment. It looked to be the last nail in the coffin, but just when you thought Hellboy had been banished once and for all, Neil Marshall and Stranger Things actor David Harbour swooped in to save the day.
They’re now in the early stages of constructing a bona fide revival in the form of Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, and Harbour has asked fans to expect a darker “character piece” come 2018. But for all of the excitement generated by Marshall’s new take on the iconic, cigar-chomping demon, one can’t help but wonder how Guillermo del Toro feels about all this, particularly when you consider just how committed he was to his original, PG-13 series.
The Hollywood Reporter recently caught up with the illustrious Mexican filmmaker to talk all things Hellboy, and it was here where del Toro stressed that has no hard feelings toward Marshall’s reboot: “As far as I’m concerned, god speed and god bless.”
Knowing that Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen has del Toro’s blessing is reassuring for everyone involved – from Marshall and Harbour at the tip-top of the totem pole all the way down to the rabid fans eagerly anticipating the return of Mike Magnolia’s otherworldly anti-hero.
Here’s that full quote from Guillermo del Toro:
I don’t own Hellboy, Mike [Mignola] does. So, you know, he is the father of the character and if he wants to reboot it, it’s perfectly fine. I got to make two – that’s two more than I thought I would get to make … So you know, as far as I’m concerned god speed and god bless.
Filming on Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen is due to commence in the fall ahead of a theatrical release in 2018.