Last updated on October 26th, 2024 at 05:31 am
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent get stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia. There, they discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man.
Ketchup Entertainment distributes in the US. Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West was quoted saying: “We are very excited by this latest acquisition, this film holds a special place in the hearts of fans worldwide and we are committed to preserving and building its legacy as we bring the film to fans and new audiences. We are confident that our collaboration with Jeffrey Greenstein and the exceptional team at Millennium Media will enable us to achieve just that.” (9/11/23)
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola revealed via social media that production has wrapped on the project and had this to say: “So they’ve wrapped principal photography on the new HELLBOY movie. I wasn’t on set for this one but they have been nice enough to send me dailies and I have to say I have loved what I’ve been seeing. If fans have been waiting for a Hellboy film that is actually an adaptation of one of my stories I think they are finally going to get one. Congratulations to director Brian Taylor and a really wonderful cast–And to co-writer Chris Golden who did so much to figure out how to give the studio what they wanted and still keep true to the heart and soul of THE CROOKED MAN, my favorite of the Hellboy stories. I wish Richard Corben was still around to see this–They did a wonderful job bringing his really horrific character to life.” (5/15/23)
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola had a recent interview where he revealed more details on the film and how it’ll be the first true Hellboy horror movie, saying: “His [Brian Taylor’s] intention is to make a horror movie, so that’ll be nice. That’ll be interesting. I read the new draft of the screenplay yesterday, and yes, it is definitely R. It’s the first Hellboy script that I read and I went, ‘Oh, it’s a horror movie,’ which is what I wanted. Taylor does not have a reputation as a horror movie director. But, so far, we’ve had two horror movie directors make Hellboy movies and we’ve never gotten a horror movie.” He added… “For years, we’ve been saying, if you’re going to make a Hellboy movie, make it small. And the perfect story to do that with is my personal favorite, ‘The Crooked Man.’ I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written. It’s beautifully illustrated by Richard Corben, and it’s a solid story that doesn’t involve a million different characters. Everybody actually agreed from the very beginning, ‘Yes, we want to do that one.’ Budget-wise, it’s good because it’s a lower-budget kind of a story. It’s not the Hellboy origin. It’s not Hellboy saving the world. It’s not huge. It’s a subtle, dark, little folk horror story.” (3/20/23)
Jefferson White (Yellowstone) stars as “Tom Ferrell,” while Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil) plays “Bobbie Jo Song.” (3/3/23)
Jack Kesy is set to play the new Hellboy (Baywatch, 12 Strong, Death Wish, Deadpool 2). Filming is due to begin sometime in the coming months in Bulgaria. (3/2/23)
Director Brian Taylor recently gave more details on the project and revealed his take on the new film, saying: “So first of all, I love the character of Hellboy and my favorite run of the character is this particular era. The GDT movies were massive scale space operas and just pure Del Toro through and through. But some of the comics Mike (Mignola) was doing at the time had a very different feeling. More lean and mean, creepy folk horror. A younger Hellboy, wandering the dark corners of the world… Paranormal investigator, night stalker… The Crooked Man in particular is just such an iconic book—written by Mike, drawn by Richard Corben, another legend. Set in the late 50s. For me it’s my favorite version of the character. So the appeal of this one to me, is to go back to that and do a real reset, and really give us that version of Hellboy, which I just don’t think we’ve seen yet.” He goes on to say how he pitched an R-rated “folk horror movie” to the producers, saying: “I pitched an R-rated folk horror movie and the team here at Millennium have been nothing but supportive. It’s a great group of people, and they love horror.” Adding… “We’ve definitely had a discussion of, you know, it doesn’t really serve anybody to make something R for R’s sake. To say it has to be R so we have to add A, B and C. But this material, this original material is dark and scary and violent and adult. So in order to really embrace that, we just don’t wanna have any handcuffs on.” Lastly, he offered a message to the fans, saying: “I want fans to know that we’re coming at this film, from a place of love for the original material, and for the character, for Mike’s character. We’re not trying to reinvent some completely different idea of Hellboy—we’re trying to get back to the feeling of these particular books from the mid-aughts. It’s something that hasn’t been seen on screen before, but it’s a version I think hardcore Hellboy fans will want to see. Anyway, I do.” (2/20/23)
It looks like this project is officially happening and much of what was revealed in the last update is true. Mike Mignola, creator of the comics, has penned the script alongside his Dark Horse comics collaborator Chris Golden. It’s said that the story will “expand Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series.” One of the film’s producers was also quoted saying: “The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form. This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways. Brian Taylor is an expert across the board, and I couldn’t think of a better person to bring this story to life to show our audience this different and original Hellboy slate of films.” (2/18/23)
This project is currently rumored at the moment, as nothing official has been announced. Despite that, it’s reportedly already well in pre-production, with casting underway and filming supposedly set to begin sometime this April in Bulgaria. Apparently the studio is looking to cast a young actor in their 20s/30s for the new Hellboy role. Keep in mind that this is all rumored until something official is announced. (2/17/23)
This reboot is temporarily known as Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which is likely based on the 2011 comic series of the same name. The story followed “Hellboy in 1956, somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia, as he encounters Tom, a man who in his youth sold his soul to a backwoods demon known as the Crooked Man. Together, they travel back into the dark heart of the Appalachian mountains to confront the demon and see if Tom’s soul can be saved.”
Directed by Brian Taylor (Crank, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Mom and Dad, Happy! series).
Millennium Media bought the rights to Hellboy in 2018 with the hopes this reboot will spawn a successful new series of movies.
This is said to be a new live-action reboot that ignores the 2019 reboot that starred David Harbour and the two Guillermo del Toro movies that starred Ron Perlman.
Icon Film Distribution released Hellboy: The Crooked Man in UK Cinemas on September 27, 2024.
Ketchup Entertainment released Hellboy: The Crooked Man on VOD/Digital on October 8, 2024.
Icon Film Distribution releases Hellboy: The Crooked Man on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on December 9, 2024.
Ketchup Entertainment releases Hellboy: The Crooked Man on Blu-ray and DVD on December 17, 2024.
Director: Brian Taylor
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