Marvel and DC may be leading the way when it comes to superhero movies, but that doesn't mean characters from other companies haven't had opportunities to shine on the big screen. Last decade, Dark Horse Comics teamed with Columbia Pictures and Universal (separately) to put out two Hellboy movies, starring Ron Perlman as the eponymous protagonist. It's been nine years since the second movie came out, but thanks to fan help, director Guillermo del Toro is re-exploring the possibility of a third movie, and it sounds like Perlman is ready to jump back in as well.
This past Wednesday, Guillermo del Toro tweeted out that if he received at least 100,000 votes in his informal Hellboy 3 poll (where the choices were 'Yes' and 'Hell yes'), he would sit down with Ron Perlman and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola to discuss trying to make the third installment happen. Del Toro accumulated more than enough votes both on Twitter and with Perlman's assistance on Facebook, and yesterday, he revealed that he's talked with Perlman, who has agreed to the Hellboy 3 sit-down. Once Mignola has agreed to meet with them, then the trio can discuss the potential threequel in length. It's the best hope Hellboy fans have had in a long time for another installment, but keep in mind that this doesn't guarantee that it will be greenlit.
Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army were released in 2004 and 2008, respectively, and while both movies received overall positive reception, they weren't breaking the bank when it came to commercial performance. Shortly after the second movie came out, Guillermo del Toro expressed interest in having the cast and crew reunite for a third movie. Since then, it's been a bumpy ride, with Hellboy 3 updates ranging from del Toro saying he needing more time to crack the story to the project being unlikely to happen because studios are worried it wouldn't make enough money in theaters. The most recent update came last October, when Ron Perlman said that he and Guillermo del Toro "don't talk about that anymore" because of their busy schedules, although he did acknowledge that one day del Toro might call him to say, "Hey, let's do it." That day came just three months later, luckily for him.
Again, just because a Hellboy 3 meeting is in the works doesn't necessarily mean that the movie will finally become a reality. After all, not only would Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman's schedules need to not conflict, but they would also have to make sure they could bring back as many supporting folks from the previous two movies. Regardless, it's good to hear that two of the integral figures are willing to team up again, so Hellboy fans, cross your fingers something good comes out of this.
We here at CinemaBlend will keep you updated on how Hellboy 3 is progressing (or not) as more news comes in, so stay tuned!
