Some unrealized projects just won’t die when it comes to the public consciousness. One of those very movies just happens to be Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy 3, the entry that was set to complete the trilogy the director set out to tell with Ron Perlman playing the titular character. With Mr. Perlman in the mix with Mr. del Toro again thanks to Nightmare Alley, the question of “Could Hellboy 3 still happen?" has been asked again. This time, the answer to that query might actually surprise you.
Sitting down with Inverse for an interview, Ron Perlman gave a new level of texture when addressing a question that’s been embedded in the hearts of fans since 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Sadly, this isn’t the silver bullet that confirms Hellboy 3 is about to go into production, as Perlman admitted it’s not happening any time soon. However, with that obvious caveat, the actor maintains his belief that this movie should still happen, and for these specific reasons:
I've had to make my peace with the fact that the book is closed. But then again, I'm pretty sure that in 1947, nobody working on Nightmare Alley ever thought there'd be a 2021 version. So never say never, right? Somebody may pick it up at some point and finish the trilogy. I hope they finish the trilogy. And I hope Guillermo's script is the one that they make to finish the trilogy. Whether he directs it or not. Whether I'm Hellboy doesn't matter. It's just that circle needs to be completed.
Going into the Hellboy movies, Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman were setting up a massive story that involved some huge implications for Mike Mingola’s comic creation. Hellboy II: The Golden Army especially started to lay down the tracks to that grand finale, with a massive cliffhanger still floating in the air as a result. 13 years later, just as people keep asking about Hellboy 3’s status, Ron Perlman has been keeping the faith in his own way that it could still happen.
In the same interview that saw the Nightmare Alley ensemble member talking about why he wants the Hellboy trilogy to be completed, the actor also gave some more insight into what that last film would have contained. Without giving plot points away, Ron Perlman teased Hellboy 3’s story so masterfully that it’s hard not to stoke the embers of hope again. Read how the Right Hand of Doom himself describes the still-secretive story:
The ending was going to resolve all of the aspects about this mythical creature that was introduced in the first two films. The result was going to be dramatic, super-violent, biblical in nature, Greek mythology. It was a shame the audience, who had hung in with us for the first two films, was deprived of seeing that finish because it would have been a big beautiful finish.
The story of Hellboy 3’s unrealized potential to finish a story with a cult following isn’t anything new. Nor is the faith that people like Ron Perlman put into that story someday getting its proper finale, potentially with his involvement. But with the strength of that conviction prevailing in so many ways, and with the long run in sight, this could be one of the most dedicated cases for a long shot to pay off in the end.
You can see Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro reunited in Nightmare Alley, which is currently in theaters. The two creatives will also be seen together through the all-star stop-motion retelling of Pinocchio, which is set to debut as a Netflix original film sometime in 2022. Take a look at all of the other goodies awaiting audiences in the new year, thanks to the 2022 release schedule!
