The superhero community has recently found itself in a very odd position with the announcement of an R-rated Hellboy reboot. Although the core idea of a new Hellboy film inherently appeals to longtime die-hard fans, the concept of entirely new talents like Stranger Things' David Harbour and The Descent's Neil Marshall stepping in has taken many of us off-guard. This revelation has led to a flurry of responses from former Hellboy insiders, but now it seems that actress Selma Blair, who played Liz Sherman in the original flicks, hopes that Harbour will remember to have fun on the set of the film, as it can all end very quickly. Here's what she had to say.
As far as goodwill goes, Selma Blair's tweet makes it fairly clear that she wishes David Harbour the best when he steps in to take on the filed down horns of the demonic badass. Given the fact that the most recent Hellboy film came out almost nine years, ago, Blair has likely made peace with the fact that a new movie in her specific continuity was likely not going to happen -- which probably makes it considerably easier to wish Harbour good luck. She doesn't give the new Hellboy actor any advice in regards to portraying the character; all she wants him to do is have fun as he steps in to replace Ron Perlman as the iconic hero.
If anyone knows how to enjoy their time on the set of a Hellboy movie, it's Selma Blair. As the love interest of the titular demonic hero in Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Blair's Liz Sherman consistently stood out as one of the most complex and fascinating characters in the entire Hellboy saga. Beyond that, her pyrokinetic abilities always shined as some of the coolest effects in the entire franchise; whoever replaces Blair in this role will have big shoes to fill, but also an excellent guide to help her put the character together.
Opinions toward the newly announced Hellboy reboot have run the gamut from negative to positive, and it appears that Selma Blair's mindset falls on the more optimistic side of the spectrum. When the announcement came through that Hellboy would continue without Guillermo del Toro or Ron Perlman as part of the production, the reactions from fans and Hellboy insiders alike could only be described as polarized. In fact, Hellboy actor Jeffrey Tambor took to social media yesterday to call out Hellboy creator Mike Mignola for lack of "loyalty" towards Perlman and del Toro -- whom he credits with turning the franchise into a household name.
With so few concrete details to go by right now, it's hard to pick a side definitively. On that note, David Harbour and Neil Marshall cannot be blamed for being hired on a new project, so it only seems courteous for Selma Blair to wish them well in this new version of the Hellboy story. As long as they make sure to have fun and eat plenty of cupcakes, Blair will probably approve.
CinemaBlend will keep you up to date with any and all relevant updates related to Neil Marshall's upcoming R-rated reboot of Hellboy as new information becomes available to us. For now, make sure to check out our 2017 movie premiere guide to keep yourselves up to date on all of the other awesome upcoming theatrical releases!
