Ron Perlman Reveals Condition for His Hellboy Return (and He Said No Without It)

Ron Perlman, who portrayed Hellboy in two films, has revealed he would reprise the role on only one condition. Speaking with That Hashtag Show, the actor was asked if he would be open to returning to the franchise. “For Guillermo I would,” Perlman said, referencing Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who helmed both of Perlman’s turns as the character. Perlman added that he even turned down the chance to work with a different director on a Hellboy project. “I had an opportunity to play him for other people and I passed,” the actor said.

In Perlman’s mind, del Toro should be the only filmmaker who brings the world of Hellboy to life. “That’s his franchise as far as I’m concerned, and I’m his boy,” he said, highlighting his loyalty to his frequent collaborator (Perlman has appeared in seven of del Toro’s films).

Based on the Dark Horse Comic series, Hellboy was released back in 2004, earning positive reviews and $99.8 million at the worldwide box office (against a budget of $60-66 million). That success led to the development of a sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which premiered in 2008. Like its predecessor, The Golden Army received strong reviews, but a third installment in del Toro’s series never materialized — even though there was talk of one for years.

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Since Perlman’s tenure as Hellboy wrapped up, the film franchise has been rebooted twice. The 2019 movie starring David Harbour was a critically panned box office flop, grossing only $55 million globally. Actor Jack Kesy took over the role in 2024’s Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which didn’t fare much better. That film only grossed $2 million worldwide and was released straight-to-VOD in the U.S.

Considering Perlman’s extensive history with del Toro, it isn’t surprising that he wasn’t interested in making a Hellboy 3 with someone else. Del Toro’s filmmaking sensibilities proved to be an ideal fit for the material, with his adaptations earning a passionate following thanks to their sharp visuals, memorable characters, sense of humor, and action sequences. Seeing how the two Hellboy reboots turned out, Perlman is arguably justified in his stance that del Toro should be the one calling the shots. While the director didn’t create the character, his touch was sorely missed on the 2019 and 2024 iterations. This has proven to be a property difficult to get “right” without del Toro guiding it, and Perlman (understandably) doesn’t want to be part of a misfire.

Unfortunately, the odds of Hellboy 3 happening at some point aren’t any better today. Despite continued statements of interest from Perlman, the project has never gotten off the ground, and with del Toro keeping himself busy with other projects (like this year’s Frankenstein), it seems like he’s moved on. Still, it would be nice if Hellboy could eventually become the latest film franchise to receive a legacy sequel. With multiple Oscar wins under his belt, del Toro has even more clout now than he did back in the 2000s, meaning he could probably get it off the ground. While the reboots bombed commercially, del Toro’s series has maintained a dedicated fan base, and there would be much excitement if he and Perlman announced a return to the franchise.