When former Sons of Anarchy star Ron Perlman gets cast in something, it's usually because producers are looking for a big hulking beast of a man that will offer up some form of intimidation. (His fantastic sense of humor is a draw, too, of course.) But it's that deep and gravelly voice of his that will be showcased for the fan favorite actor's next role, as Perlman is reteaming with Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro for the filmmaker's long-gestating DreamWorks Animation series Trollhunters, which will debut later this year on Netflix. Oh, and Perlman is joined by the only slightly less awesome Kelsey Grammer and Anton Yelchin, who will also provide vocal support.
As can be expected from anything Guillermo del Toro has his hands on, Trollhunters will be a fantastical and epic adventure that will collide two fictional worlds together. In the seemingly normal suburb of Arcadia, three best friends discover that their hometown sits atop a secret and not at all peaceful world of trolls, and the creatures' ongoing war will play a huge part in the friends' lives. I mean, it's hard to imagine finding just one troll would be anything less than life-changing, so running up on an entire population will definitely usher in some new experiences.
No, Ron Perlman will not be voicing a young teenage boy on the cusp of a different kind of maturity. He will be voicing a sinister troll named Bular, and he will hopefully have to say a lot of silly character names like that throughout the series. Bular will specifically be seeking out Jim (the hero of our tale) and his two friends for battling purposes.
Kelsey Grammer, whose iconic character Frasier Crane was part of two of the most successful sitcoms of all time, will also not play a teenager here. He will voice another troll named Blinky, but he will be nothing like Perlman's evil creature. Blinky is kind-hearted in nature and he befriends Jim and his mates.
And then there's Star Trek's Anton Yelchin, who will take on the protagonist role of Jim, according to Deadline. Jim is just your average neighborhood kid until he finds a magical amulet that leads him to his grand troll-filled discovery which, as previously stated, will change his life forever.
Guillermo del Toro has been working on Trollhunters for years in one form or another, with Netflix getting involved earlier this year when the company expanded its deal with DreamWorks Animation. Just last year, del Toro and fellow author Daniel Kraus released an illustrated novel for Trollhunters, with art from Sean Murray, to favorable reviews. And the early art from the Netflix series has looked really colorful and right about what you'd expect from a trollish animation.
So, even though we're still waiting for Hellboy 3 to throw cigar stumps all over our theater screens at some point, we never complain about Ron Perlman and del Toro teaming up for things. Expect to find Trollhunters hitting Netflix in December 2016. Before that, find everything coming to primetime in the next few months with our summer TV schedule.
