Even though fans were upset that it wasn't a true sequel, a new Hellboy reboot is arriving in April. The movie features an all-new cast and ditches most of the characters that starred in the previous two Hellboy movies. This includes Abe Sapien, the aquatic psychic played by Doug Jones. Abe isn't set to appear in the new Hellboy but apparently a cameo was at one point on the table for Doug Jones.
There was a chance that a cameo might have happened, but not as things progressed.
It's fair to say that you wouldn't recognize Doug Jones if you saw him walking down the street. He's best known for roles that require heavy make-up as he usually plays supernatural creatures. He's known for acting with his body and motions, which he put to full use as Abe Sapien in the Hellboy series. A third appearance as Abe was ultimately not in the cards, but Jones almost had a chance to appear in the Hellboy remake.
As Doug Jones told The Hollywood Reporter, there was early talk that he might get a cameo for Hellboy. It's unclear if this cameo would have been as Abe Sapien (which is doubtful), a different creature, or as a human. Seeing as how Jones' specialty is monsters, I'd wager that he would have headed to the makeup chair for any kind of cameo.
However, Doug Jones was too busy sitting in a different makeup chair to commit to a cameo. As Jones continued to tell THR, the cameo offer came while he was still neck deep in Star Trek: Discovery. Jones stars as the alien Lt. Saru on CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery, and he was too busy filming episodes of the TV series to pop in for a Hellboy cameo.
Reboot means recasting, and I'm told this first reboot does not have anybody in it from the original film. I received an offer to do a cameo, but I was deeply immersed in Star Trek: Discovery when that offer came in, so I couldn't do it.
When Hellboy arrives in theaters, fans likely won't see Abe Sapien or Doug Jones. The reboot is starting fresh with an all-new cast of characters that includes David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, and Daniel Dae Kim. Even if Abe Sapien does show up for future movies, it likely won't be Jones playing the part. It's just as Jones says: "reboot means recasting."
You won't find Doug Jones in the movie, but there's still other things to see in Hellboy when the comic book movie arrives in theaters on April 12, 2019. To learn more about the film, here's what we know so far. For everything else arriving in theaters this year, be sure to check out our 2019 movie release guide.
