Hellboy fans were crushed when it was announced that Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman wouldn’t be returning for a third Hellboy movie. It was later picked up as an R-rated reboot by Lionsgate with Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones) set to direct.
The new film sees Stranger Things actor David Harbour as big red and is expected to take a much more mature tone than previously seen. Jumping from the PG-13 tone seen in the two Guillermo del Toro films to an R-rating.
While an audience-pleasing trailer had previously leaked online from New York Comic Con, the studio has yet to officially release any footage officially.
However, there is still some news coming out about the film despite that.
A new casting addition reported by our friends over at DiscussingFilm might be our first big hint to a character worthy of getting their own splinter installments. They are stating that Spider-Man 3 and Sideways actor Thomas Haden Church is playing heroic vigilante Lobster Johnson.
Yes, the mystery comic book movie role that Thomas Haden Church hinted at earlier this year is a role in the upcoming ‘Hellboy’ reboot starring David Harbour. Thomas Haden Church will play the iconic Hellboy character of Lobster Johnson, who is described as a “vigilante who worked in secret in New York City during the 1930s who had a reputation for violence and burning his trademark lobster claw symbol into foreheads.”
The casting and character have yet to be confirmed by Lionsgate.
It’s unknown at this time if the character will be seen in flashbacks or will be taking place during the present time era that Hellboy is set.
Creator and producer Mike Mignola previously spoke to TheVerge and suggested this new Hellboy film potentially sparking an entire cinematic universe, which might lead to spin-offs. Lobster Johnson is certainly a character that could easily get a string of his own films if the studio wanted to go that route.
“Yeah. 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. You want to sell a larger world, but you have to pick and choose what goes in there. 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.“
Lionsgate recently delayed the release of their new Hellboy installment to April 12th, 2019.
SOURCE: DISCUSSING FILM
