For years, Hellboy fans hoped that Guillermo del Toro would get to make a follow-up to Hellboy II: The Golden Army, but after numerous attempts by del Toro, Ron Perlman and others, Hellboy III ultimately wasn't able to get off the ground. Instead, the Dark Horse Comics protagonist is being rebooted for a new generation, this time with Stranger Things star David Harbour wearing the red makeup. Now it's been announced that John Wick's Ian McShane has been added as Harbour's first co-star, and he'll be playing the character's adoptive father.
THR dropped the news that Golden Globe-winner Ian McShane has signed on to Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen as Professor Broom, whose full name in the comics is Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. McShane inherits the role from the late John Hurt, who had prominent role in Guillermo del Toro's first Hellboy movie and cameoed in the sequel. With production aiming to begin in the United Kingdom and Bulgaria this September, no doubt McShane's addition is just the first of many casting announcements that will come in the weeks ahead.
In the comics, Professor "Broom" was a member of the British Paranormal Society, and he used his knowledge of the occult and supernatural to help the Allies combat the Nazis and their black magic. In the penultimate year of World War II, Broom discovered the infant Hellboy and raised him as if he were his son. In the 2004 Hellboy movie, John Hurt's Broom discovered Hellboy while stopping Project Ragna Rok, but the professor was killed circa 2004 by Rasputin's minion, Karl Ruprecht Kroenen. We'll have to wait and see Ian McShane's Broom will also have participated in World War II or if his early experiences will move forward a decade or two to better sync up with contemporary times.
Ian McShane's notable credits over the years include Lovejoy, Deadwood, Kung Fu Panda, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Hercules and Grimsby, but to John Wick fans, he's instantly recognizable as Winston, the owner and manager of the Continental Hotel in New York. McShane is also currently starring as Mr. Wednesday on the Starz series American Gods, which, like the new Hellboy movie, is under the Lionsgate banner. No doubt he'll fill the mentor/paternal figure role in the Hellboy reboot quite nicely.
Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen will follow the main protagonist battling a medieval sorceress who wants to wipe out all of humanity. The Descent and Game of Thrones' Neil Marshall will direct the reboot, and Larry Gordon, Lloyd Levin and Dark Horse's Mike Richardson are on board as producers.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend to see how the Hellboy reboot is coming along, including when it will arrive in theaters.
