Rebooting a franchise is never easy, particularly if the property you're looking to spit-shine has a pre-existing and fervent fanbase. Such is the case with Neil Marshall's HELLBOY starring STRANGER THINGS star David Harbour and Milla Jovovich. For years, followers of Ron Perlman's pancake eatin', cigar chomping demon have been praying to dark dieties that the seasoned actor would suit up as "Big Red," once again. Alas, their requests shall remain unrequited, as both Perlman and del Toro will have nothing to do with the planned R-rated re-imagining of HELLBOY.
Recently, del Toro himself engaged in a chin-wag with Screen Geek, and offered a few words regarding Harbour's upcoming turn as the character. It all started when SG asked del Toro the following question: I understand you’re a fan of Stranger Things. Phenomenal show. I’m wondering, if maybe with it coming full circle – David Harbour as the new Hellboy. Do you have any thoughts on it?
Del Toro then responded by saying, "No, I mean I like him. I don’t know him and I’m not involved with the movie. But I sure wish them luck, man. He’s a great guy."
SG then followed up Guillermo's comment with a jovial remark of, "But he surely won’t do as good as Ron [Perlman]." To which del Toro responded with a playful "Oh, no." Both shared a good laugh at the director's candor and moved on to other matters.
I'm honestly not sure of what David Harbour can do to help make the Hellboy character his own, though I'm totally game for watching him try. Personally, I think the makeup they've provided for Big Red looks incredible, and the thought of Milla Jovovich stepping into the role of the film's primary villain has me all kinds of excited. My biggest concern for the reboot stems not from the actors that have joined the project, but Marshall's ability to represent the franchise's atmospheric hellscapes. Del Toro has a flare for that sort of thing, you know? How do we move forward from that level of perfection? With that said, the movie industry constantly surprises me, and I've no doubt that Marshall's HELLBOY will be something to truly enjoy once it arrives in theaters come 2018.
