Hellboy fans were delivered a surprise announcement last year that a new film was in the works with Stranger Things star David Harbour attached to play the character. Ron Perlman, who played Hellboy in two live-action films, was also surprised by this news, though Harbour revealed that he had dinner with the actor and received his blessing…sort of.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“A little bit, I mean, it was not a great situation,” Harbour shared with the WTF with Marc Maron podcast when asked if he received Perlman’s blessing. “They did two, him and Guillermo del Toro, and they, I think, wanted to make their third, but I think a lot of issues came up. I think budgets were too big, I think that they took a lot of time, they waited too long, so I think they wanted to do something else, they wanted to do something different with it.”
These two live-action films might not have earned the same acclaim as chapters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the DC Extended Universe, yet earned a passionate following with fans of the character. Unfortunately, the delay in bringing the third film to life might have been what stopped del Toro and Perlman from finishing their trilogy.
“[The filmmakers] came to me and it was a very different concept, a very different idea, and there was initially some bluster around it and I think everybody kind of got it and Ron got it,” Harbour admitted. “He came and we had dinner and he was just really cool.”
Perlman and del Toro have seemingly made peace with the upcoming production, but constantly being asked about their feelings on the matter has become a point of contention.
“I think that the one thing that’s a little weird is everybody now asks him about it and I think he’s annoyed at that,” Harbour detailed. “So he’s said some things about it on Twitter where he’s just like, ‘Just don’t ask me anymore,’ and I think it’s…don’t ask him anymore. He likes me, he was very kind to me, and he was like, ‘Good luck, kid.’”
Fans will see Harbour’s take on the character when Hellboy hits theaters on January 11, 2019.
What do you think about Perlman’s comments to Harbour? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
[H/T WTF]
