Fans have clamored for a new Hellboy movie for quite some time, but few expected it to look like what was recently announced. Rather than stick to the existing continuity established by Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the franchise has opted to completely reboot with The Descent's Neil Marshall behind the camera, and Stranger Things' David Harbour in front of it. As it turns out: that decision doesn't sit well with former Hellboy star Jeffrey Tambor. The Transparent actor recently addressed Hellboy creator Mike Mignola's decision to proceed with a reboot, saying:
The announcement of an R-rated Hellboy reboot without Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro is still fresh, and new details continue to pour in, but it seems fairly clear that Jeffrey Tambor isn't pleased with the development. It's no secret that Perlman and del Toro had been trying to get a third Hellboy movie off of the ground for quite some time. In fact, Perlman's social media posts about the newly announced reboot seem to indicate that he was taken fairly off-guard by the revelation that Mignola had opted to switch horses and proceed with a new incarnation of the franchise -- free from his previous collaborators.
It makes plenty of sense for Jeffrey Tambor to go to bat for Perlman and del Toro like this, as he's also one of the biggest names and most memorable characters associated with the original Hellboy franchise. As FBI Director Tom Manning, Tambor consistently provided a sense of comic relief to both of del Toro's films, and his antagonistic chemistry with Perlman always made for some great character moments.
Some fans went on to point out that Mike Mignola does have the authority to do anything he wants with his creation. Still, Jeffrey Tambor seems to think that Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro deserve more credit for making the character a popular mainstream property. Tambor addressed that argument, saying,
Apparently...Guillermo and Ron made thatFranchise...
There's a fair amount of validity to that claim. Hellboy has always felt like a niche property, and while the two previous Hellboy films were never blockbuster smashes on the scale of The Avengers, Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro did something genuinely impressive by making the character a critical and commercial success. They're the two biggest names associated with the franchise (at least to mainstream audiences), so it's certainly understandable to see Jeffrey Tambor so frustrated by this turn of events.
Having said that, I'm still incredibly excited to see what Neil Marshall and David Harbour do with this property. Marshall has proven himself more than worthy as a modern master of indie horror in recent years, and David Harbour's turn as Jim Hopper in Netflix's Stranger Things has made him a hot commodity in Hollywood. This won't be your father's Hellboy film, but it still deserves a shot. After all, any Hellboy movie is better than no Hellboy movie, right?
We will have to wait and see what happens as the new Hellboy movie comes together, but it looks like we can assume that Jeffrey Tambor won't return to the franchise anytime soon. For now, check out our 2017 movie premiere guide for more information concerning this year's non-Hellboy releases.
