Ron Perlman has a pretty good career going as a reliable character actor, but it's not hard to argue that his best role in recent years was playing Hellboy for Guillermo del Toro. Something about the giant red demon with a penchant for cats suited Perlman perfectly, and del Toro really built up the character in a believable way over two movies-- remember that Barry Manilow sing-along between Hellboy and Abe in the second movie?
So even though it looks like del Toro and Perlman will never get to reteam for a third Hellboy movie, they may have a reunion yet. Talking to MTV about his next project At the Mountains of Madness, del Toro confirmed the rumor that he wanted Perlman for the film, and even admitted he had written a role with the actor in mind:
"I wrote a part for him. He read it and if everything falls in place, Ron Perlman has a role in it written specifically for him […] Ron plays Larson, the sort of dog guy, the guy that cares for the dogs and the sled — the part of the expedition that is dog sleds. It's a fantastic character. I really love him. He's sort of a pragmatic guy, doesn't care about science or the mythology or the cosmology. He just is a hard-boiled Nordic man, and it is written specifically for him."
If you need a refresher, At the Mountains of Madness will be an adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft novel about an expedition to Antarctica that uncovers the mysterious, ancient Elder Things, who are the origins of humanity. Given that this is a Guillermo del Toro movie, though, you know things only get more weird and difficult from there. Perlman would fit right in with a band of adventurers in parkas, and I know if I were him, at least, I'd be eager to jump on board whatever del Toro is planning. And hey, unlike del Toro's attempt at making The Hobbit, At the Mountains of Madness is actually going to happen soon! Get Perlman on board and get this sucker made!
