Hellboy 3: Ron Perlman Thinks Fans Deserve Sequel But Isn't Eager to Make It

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Ever since Ron Perlman made his live-action debut as Hellboy back in 2004, fans haven't been able to get enough of the performer embracing the spirit of the comic book character, and while he admits his age is preventing him from being excited to ever make a third film with Guillermo del Toro, he does admit that closing out a trilogy is something that the fans of the franchise deserve. With each live-action Hellboy movie being relatively underwhelming financially, and the 2019 reboot starring David Harbour also being a critical disaster, it's hard to imagine a studio agreeing to take such a financial risk, but a Perlman and del Toro reunion could be just what fans are waiting for.

"Am I eager to do Hellboy 3? No, I'm 71 f-cking years old," Perlman joked with The Independent. "We owe this to the fans. And we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion. So Guillermo, if you're reading, I'm not done pounding you to get this f-cking thing done."

After the debut of the original Hellboy, del Toro earned immense acclaim for his work on the film Pan's Labyrinth, allowing him the opportunity to deliver audiences Hellboy II: The Golden Army in 2008. Much like the first film, the sequel earned a passionate following and positive critical reactions, but failed to earn enough of a return at the box office to warrant a third film. 

Interestingly, 2008 also saw the debut of Iron Man, kicking off the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. With each passing year, more comic book films were being released and each one earned stronger responses than superhero stories from subsequent years. In this regard, it seemed as though Hellboy was primed to make a comeback. This prediction did ultimately come true, but instead of there being another Perlman and del Toro collaboration, director Neil Marshall was tapped to reboot the concept with Harbour starring.

Fans of the character were cautiously optimistic, given Harbour's talents seen in Stranger Things, yet they were still disappointed the project was missing Perlman. When the reboot was ultimately released, Marshall didn't even attend the premiere, reportedly due to studio interference on the project behind the scenes, with the film ultimately earning 19% positive reviews, per aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

In the years since the reboot was release, Perlman's latest comments are some of the most supportive of his willingness to conclude the trilogy is only for fans and not for his own interests.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of the Hellboy franchise.

Would you like to see the third film happen? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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