Hellboy Reboot + Great Cast = The Perfect Formula?

With the recent news of a Hellboy reboot in the works, I can’t help but wonder what direction this reboot will take the franchise. The last time we saw Hellboy was in 2008 when Ron Perlman played the lead character and it was directed by Guillermo del Toro. I ask you will it be the same or will it be different? What will it do for the industry?

Who is Hellboy?

Hellboy was designed by Mike Mignola and first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2. A half-demon whose real name is Anung Un Rama, Hellboy was beckoned from Hell to Earth as a baby. Once an adult, he officially joined the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense as a full-time agent.

The Hellboy reboot will be the change it needs

When Ron Perlman decided to turn down the main title role in Hellboy, fans around the globe began to wonder who would be the next one to wear the red face. After all, Ron Perlman “made” it the standard to be what Hellboy was. When the news broke of actor David Harbour taking his shot at Hellboy, fans breathed a sigh of relief.

In case you’re wondering, David Harbour is from the television series Stranger Things.

Out with the old and in with the new

Now with the actor cast, who is to direct the movie?

Neil Marshall, that’s who.

He can be credited with such movies as The Descent, Dog Soldiers, and Doomsday (not the DC kind). Marshall may not be well-known but know this, he spares no expense in his work when it comes to violence and bloody scenes. I firmly believe that he will give Hellboy reboot the treatment it deserves.

From zombies to a Queen

I love watching lead villains that are female. For too long the world was caught up in 1980’s action movies that saw macho heroes fight macho villains. While that recipe worked in that time period, it just doesn’t work now. The villain on Thor Ragnarok, Hela, proved that beautifully. She was cold, callous, and something to be feared. She doesn’t have to be a brute like her male counterparts, but rather she can just use her wits to outsmart them.

In Hellboy, a villain whose name is the Blood Queen demands this sort of treatment. The casting choice of Milla Jovovich is, without giving away my excitement too much, perfect. She has been involved in this type of genre for most of her career (Resident Evil and The Fifth Element) and knows exactly what the audience desires. In saying that, I am very interested in seeing how her onscreen heroism translates into villainy…

Things are about to get Rated R

‘R’ rated movies have become the go-to thing when it comes to Hollywood and comics. Justifiably so. Over the last couple of years they have given us Logan and Deadpool and for them, we remain grateful. If you’re looking for a stop to these types of movies, look elsewhere. At over $6,000,000 at the box office each, Hollywood won’t be stopping anytime soon.

And that’s a good thing.

But if the genre is to truly become something more than special effects and explosions, another player has to enter the arena. Hence, the value that Hellboy will bring.

Look, if any character can do it successfully, it’s Spawn. If any character not named Spawn can do it, it’s Hellboy.

Hellboy is the perfect mixture of the wisecracking Deadpool and the serious, get-down-to-business Logan. If David Harbour dos him right (and I believe he will) there is an opportunity for something to be done that hasn’t been done before.

Success is always measured in numbers

The question remains, will the Hellboy reboot be a commercial success or flop?

It’s tough to say.

Here’s what I know.

Audiences are more than willing to give comic book movies a try, so Hellboy will get its shot. However, if the film doesn’t view well in the first couple of days, watch for it to gain flop status. We are too connected and word (good or bad) spread to rapidly for anything, movie or otherwise, to escape it. If it is good, it will be praised and people will see it, if it is the opposite, you’ll only be able to see David Harbour on Stranger Things.

I hope it works. With Todd McFarlane announcing another crack at Spawn, it’ll be good for the industry for it and Hellboy to succeed. The world needs another publisher to achieve some semblance of the same success.

No, scratch that.

We deserve it.

For too long the marketing and movie making juggernauts Marvel and DC have reigned supreme. There are so many good stories that are going unnoticed and that is a disservice on the grandest of scales.

Enough is enough and it’s time for a change…again

I can’t stress this enough. There are so many other characters not named Superman or Spider-man that could easily transition into box office success. And as long as they are worthy of our attention, we will watch. Who knows, it may be the next movie to break $1,000,000,000. Personally, I hope it does. I hope that the Hellboy Reboot takes the industry in a whole new direction like Deadpool and Logan did.

Cheers,

Jeff

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