If you mention David Harbour, most people likely know him best for playing Chief Jim Hopper on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things (though I still occasionally think back to his time as Elliot Hirsch on The Newsroom). However, Harbour will soon be making his biggest splash yet on the big screen when he takes over as Hellboy for the upcoming reboot. Back in September, we received our first look at Harbour as the Dark Horse Comics protagonist, and for those of you who've wondered if there's any CGI augmentation done to the character, rest assured, what you're seeing in that picture is all Harbour underneath the makeup. When asked if any of his Hellboy look is CGI, Harbour responded:
Not a single bit, man. I don't know why people complain about 'fake news,' because fake news works in my favor, in terms of this. That's all me, 100%.
It's been 10 years since Hellboy II: The Golden Army was released, and CGI technology has improved significantly in the years since. While the folks at Lionsgate certainly could have used CGI to enhance this version of Hellboy to make him look more formidable, David Harbour is instead following in Ron Perlman's footsteps and showing off his physique sans digital alteration. Oh sure, there might be a few scenes in the Hellboy reboot where it's necessary to apply some CGI to the protagonist (like if his horns grow back), but for the most part, it's prime Harbour we're working with here. As you can tell, this is a far cry from the "dad bod" he's rocked on Stranger Things, though Harbour has promised that he'll return to that form soon.
Although Hellboy is David Harbour's first time leading a comic book movie, he's no stranger to this genre, previously playing Dexter Tolliver in Suicide Squad. During his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harbour also retold the story about how he auditioned to play The Blob in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but failed to obtain the role because the director felt the actor "wasn't healthy enough" for the role. That's when Harbour realized he had the "dad bod," but at least we know he can pack on the muscle if the role calls for it.
The Hellboy reboot will see the eponymous protagonist battling a medieval sorceress who's intent on destroying humanity. Along with David Harbour, the main cast includes Ian McShane as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, Milla Jovovich as Nimue the Blood Queen, Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida and Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio. The Descent's Neil Marshall is directing Hellboy, and the script was written by Mike Mignola, Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden and Aron Coleite.
Hellboy will be released in theaters on January 11, 2019. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on the reboot, and find out what's hitting the big screen a little sooner by read through our 2018 premiere guide.
