The new Hellboy reboot starring Stranger Things' David Harbour is currently underway, and the road has so far not been entirely smooth. Criticism was thrown at the movie after a white actor, Ed Skrein, was cast as a traditionally Japanese-American character. Remarkably, that decision was course corrected, but now another group has found itself mad at the reboot. Hellboy is rolling cameras within the Wells Cathedral, and some worshippers are taking issue with a movie about a demon man from Hell (or a hellish dimension) having a strong presence in their church.
Hellboy has been filming inside the famous Wells Cathedral in Somerset, England, to the chagrin of some people. While we don't know the specifics of the scene in question, some worshippers at the church aren't thrilled that the 900-year-old building is hosting the film. One woman, who lives opposite the church, voiced her criticism, asking if they had "lost sight" of what the church was built for.
The church officials, for their part, have released their own statement on the matter and the reasons behind their decision. Per BBC News, church officials were aware that allowing the reboot to film would be controversial, but gave permission after learning more about the character of Hellboy. Because the story is about good vs evil, and Hellboy is on the side of good, they felt it was okay to let the film crew inside their doors. It's solid reasoning on the part of the church, but the criticizers' point of view is also understandable. It should be noted that the church was paid to be used as a location, but that amount has not been disclosed.
We'll have to see if this controversy picks up any more steam, but it's not the first that the reboot has had to endure. The film received major backlash for casting Ed Skrein (Deadpool) as Ben Daimio, a military man with the ability to turn into a humanoid jaguar creature. In a bold and unprecedented move, Skrein, who claims to not have been originally aware of the character's ethnicity, willingly dropped out of the movie. The role has since gone to Daniel Dae Kim, who thanked Skrein and recently met with him face-to-face.
Titled Hellboy just like the 2004 Ron Perlman-led movie, the reboot is directed by Neil Marshall. Not much is known about the plot of the film, but it will feature Hellboy traveling to London and facing the Blood Queen in a battle that is foretold to bring about the end of the world. The film stars David Harbour in the title role, and the rest of the cast includes Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Daniel Dae Kim, Sasha Lane and Penelope Mitchell.
Hellboy has no official release date assigned yet, so we'll update you on if it will come out in 2018 or even be saved for 2019 when that information comes in. However, there are still plenty of movies left to go this year, so stay in touch with our 2017 movie release guide.
