The Hellboy reboot was a surprise among fans when it was first revealed, and while some wanted a third installment with Guillermo del Toro and Rob Perlman returning, the idea of a bloody R-rated version sounded promising. But now that the movie is set to hit theaters, it sounds like the idea itself was better than the execution, as Hellboy has just debuted with a paltry 9 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Videos by ComicBook.com
There might be a reason behind such a poor critical response, as a new report from The Wrap indicates that tumultuous clashes took place behind the scenes between director Neil Marshall and producers Lloyd Levin and Lawrence Gordon.
ComicBook.com confirmed with sources that Marshall was not happy with the final product, which is why the director did not attend the film’s premiere.
According to the report from The Wrap, many disagreements took place on the set. Sources say that Levin would constantly undermine Marshall in front of cast and crew, that actor David Harbour would refused to do more takes for the director and walked off set numerous times, and that a back-and-forth argument took place over the design of a tree that plays a pivotal role in the film.
There was also an issue over the firing of cinematographer Sam McCurdy, who was replaced on the film by Lorenzo Senatore. McCurdy has a history working with Marshall and the two worked together on many fan-favorite episodes of Game of Thrones. According to the report, McCurdy was dismissed as a way of “sending a message” to Marshall.
Levin’s attorney Martin Singer responded to the Wrap’s report, disputing many of the surprising conflicts mentioned.
“While my client will not comment on why Sam McCurdy was fired as that is a private matter, be advised that it was a group decision and it had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Mr. Levin supposedly sending any kind of ‘message’ to Neil Marshall,” Singer wrote in an email.
Sources also say that Harbour and co-star Ian McShane provided some rewrites during the production, though that was disputed by Singer as well.
McShane, Harbour, Marshall, and reps for Lionsgate declined to comment on this story.
The critics reviews for Hellboy are not kind, and it seems like it could all boil down to disagreements on the set of the film. We’ll see how the audience responds when it premieres in theaters this Friday.
—–
Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.
In this latest episode, we dive deep into Shazam!, One Punch Man and more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!
