Guillermo del Toro was the first filmmaker to adapt Dark Horse Comics character Hellboy and his surrounding mythology for the big screen, with his first Hellboy movie coming out in 2004 and Hellboy II: The Golden Army following in 2008. For years, fans of this duology hoped that there’d be a third outing for Ron Perlman’s iteration of Hellboy, but alas, Hellboy 3 never came to be. Instead, the Hellboy reboot arrived in 2019, with Stranger Things star David Harbour playing the title role, but it ended up being a critical and commercial disappointment.
So now that it looks like this latest take on the world of Hellboy will be a one-and-done affair, does this mean Hellboy 3 could be reconsidered? While that remains to be seen, Ron Perlman sounds like he hasn’t entirely ruled out donning the red makeup and shortened horns for a third time. Here’s what the actor had to say to Comicbook.com while speaking about the Hellboy reboot:
I'm fond of David Harbour. He's a really good guy and he's a really good actor, so I was hoping for the best for him, but I had my Hellboy epoch, era, was what it was. This has really nothing to do with it. There was no overlap. They were two completely different entities. So I didn't have an opinion about the new Hellboy or a wish for it to succeed or fail, but I did make it clear that if there was a chance to finish the trilogy with Guillermo, as we had done the first two films and in the image of what he had in mind in terms of closing all of the circles, that is something that I would, to this day, consider doing. But, since it [got canceled], then I had moved on and I didn't have an opinion about any of it. And I'm not being effusive or hyperbolic, that's just the truth of it.
Ron Perlman has echoed these sentiments before, saying earlier this year that the reason he opted not to star in the new Hellboy movie was because Guillermo del Toro wasn’t the one directing it. And back in 2018, Perlman expressed disappointment that Hellboy 3 didn’t come together because he felt that the fans of the original two Hellboy movies were owed “closure.” While Perlman clearly didn’t wish David Harbour ill will about the Hellboy affair, he also hasn’t watched the reboot because it was none of his business.
Again, there’s no word yet on if Hellboy 3 might get a second chance at life following the reboot’s failure, although it’s not hard to imagine Hollywood wanting to distance itself from the Dark Horse property for at least several years, if even return to it at all. That being said, if Hellboy 3 were to get off the ground, this wouldn’t be the first time the original continuity of a film series is re-explored following a reboot or two. 2018’s Halloween was a direct sequel to the 1978 original, and the same approach is being taken with upcoming features Ghostbusters: Afterlife and RoboCop Returns.
But Ron Perlman is just one half of the equation to get Hellboy 3 going. As indicated earlier, the actor won’t do the threequel without Guillermo del Toro, and he’s quite the busy filmmaker, with his upcoming projects including Pinocchio and Nightmare Alley. Financing will also be incredibly important, as one of the original obstacles preventing Hellboy 3 from being made was because Hellboy II: The Golden Army wasn’t a hit at the box office. Still, it’s nice to know that Perlman’s that’s game to do Hellboy 3 if the opportunity comes around.
Rest assured, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know if Hellboy 3 gets the green light. And hey, if another Hellboy movie is no longer on the table, maybe the property would fare better as a television series. For now, you can see Ron Perlman in Monster Hunter, and find out what movies are arriving next year in our 2021 release schedule.
