Selma Blair Welcomes New Hellboy Star David Harbour

After news broke that Millennium Films would be taking the reigns of the Hellboy franchise with an R-rated reboot of the character, fans tempered their excitement with the knowledge that series mainstays Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman would not be involved.

Announced by comic creator Mike Mignola and confirmed by the Hollywood Reporter, the negotiations have David Harbour attached to star as Hellboy with Neil Marshall from Game of Thrones on to direct. They would adapt the storyline “Rise of the Blood Queen.”

The news was shocking to the original filmmaker and cast, but they’ve all expressed gratitude for the support from their fans. Perlman starred as Hellboy under del Toro’s direction for two films in 2004 and 2008. The Golden Army, the second film in the franchise, suffered from poor box office numbers when Christopher Nolan’s the Dark Knight opened just a week later.

Series star Selma Blair, who played Liz Sherman in the movies, expressed support for the new actor playing Hellboy, though the sentiment feels slightly bittersweet as she won’t be able to team with her old collaborators for the third installment.

UP NEXT: Guillermo Del Toro Thanks Fans For Hellboy Support

Hellboy was created in 1993 by Mike Mignola and has been the star of multiple comic books and mini-series. The character has also spawned many spinoffs, coining a term in Dark Horse’s publishing line as the “Mignolaverse.”

The Hellboy reboot’s script is currently undergoing a re-write and is rumored to begin filming this fall.

Blair will star alongside Nicolas Cage in her next feature film Mom and Dad, a horror/thriller in which mass hysteria causes parents to become violent to their children.

More Hellboy News: Is A Hellboy Cinematic Universe On The Way? / David Harbour Comments On Hellboy Reboot Casting / Guillermo Del Toro Sympathizes With Ron Perlman After Hellboy Reboot News / Ron Perlman Comments On Hellboy Reboot