Original Hellboy Star Ron Perlman Explains Why He Turned Down the Reboot

When news broke that a new Hellboy movie was being developed, fans immediately wondered if original star Ron Perlman would be involved, only for Stranger Things‘ David Harbour to take on the part, but Perlman recently detailed that he had no interest in the reboot as there were never any plans for original collaborator Guillermo del Toro to be involved in the project. Ever since the news of the reboot was announced, Perlman distanced himself from the project, with the interesting reveal about the situation being Perlman detailing that he was asked to participate in the project in some capacity.

“The reboot was something I had the opportunity to participate in and decided that the only version of Hellboy I’m interested in is the one I do with Guillermo and so in walking away from it, I truly walked away from it, and haven’t seen it or heard much about it,” Perlman shared with ComicBookMovie. “I wished them well, but it was not in my bailiwick.”

Perlman starred in the original Hellboy back in 2004 and, while the film wasn’t a major financial or critical success, earned its fair share of passionate fans. Following the massive critical success of del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth in 2006, he was given the opportunity to make virtually any film he so desired, resulting in a return to the comic book world with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Much like its predecessor, the sequel was a hit with fans but far from a financial success.

In the decade since that last Hellboy film, del Toro has become one of the busiest and most acclaimed directors in the industry. Films like Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak were moderate successes, but in 2017, The Shape of Water became one of the year’s best-reviewed films, which earned del Toro the Oscar for Best Director and the film earned itself Best Picture.

As far as whether we could expect to ever see Perlman and del Toro reunite for another Hellboy, it would seem unlikely, due in large part to the director’s busy schedule.

“The only thing that’s stopping the third Hellboy film is the fact that Guillermo is one of the busiest guys in the business,” Perlman confessed. “He couldn’t do it with all the stuff he’s got lined up even if wanted to. The two films had nothing to do with one another.”

Given last year’s Hellboy reboot was both a financial and critical disappointment, we doubt we’ll see any take on Hellboy from any creators anytime soon.

Would you like to see Ron Perlman return to the series? Let us know in the comments below!