From the moment that Neil Marshall's HELLBOY reboot was announced, I've been saying that the project should serve as a way of expanding Big Red's shared universe. I know that some of us have grown a little tired of that sort of thing, but the fact remains that there are some truly awesome characters within the Mignola-verse that could easily carry their own spinoff films.
Recently, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola sat down for an interview with The Verge, and explained away some of his hopes and aspirations for the pancake eatin', kitten lovin' demon's return to the big screen. While engaging in a chin wag with The Verge's Andrew Liptak, Mignola explained that in regard to the new HELLBOY, "It’s a very loose adaptation of one of the Hellboy graphic novels. When you have more books out there, you have a lot more to sift through. You can look around at how big the world is, and borrow pieces from here and there.”
For the moment, we already know that STRANGER THINGS star David Harbour will be stepping into the role of the cigar chompin', Nazi stompin' Hellboy, and that Ian McShane has recently been cast as the founder of the B.P.R.D., Professor Broom. Now, in moving beyond the subject of casting, Mignola shared even more information in reference to his hopes for the hellish resurgence, “You want to sell a larger world, but you have to pick and choose what goes in there,” Mignola said of the reboot. “The challenge for us has been to not lose sight of the specific story, but suggest the elements of a larger story. My hope is that this introduces a lot of stuff that then expands into a Hellboy Cinematic Universe.”
For me, I'd really enjoy seeing characters the likes of Lobster Johnson, Frankenstein, The Amazing Screw-On Head, and perhaps even Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah work their way into the mix. That being said, licensing will certainly become an issue, but I wouldn't rule any of those characters or properties out just yet. If the plan is to truly build a Mignola-verse, there's always the chance that the creator's characters that exist outside of Hellboy could get their own spinoff. Personally, I'd settle for a straight-up B.P.R.D. story featuring a young Professor Broom and a teenage Hellboy who's just learning the ways of man's world.
(Artwork by kian02, courtesy of Deviantart)
What do you all think? Do you have confidence in Neil Marshall being able to deliver a hellishly good reboot, or should ideas for a Mignola-verse remain six-feet-under? Let us know in the comments section below.
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