Ron Perlman explains why he turned down the Hellboy reboot

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Ron Perlman and Hellboy go hand and hand because he personified the character in two films that were well received by fans. 2004's HELLBOY and 2008's HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, both directed by Guillermo del Toro, didn't set the box office on fire but over the years since their release, both films have become pretty well-regarded by the fanbase. In 2019, a HELLBOY reboot was released starring David Harbour in the role with no involvement from Guillermo del Toro. The reboot was critically panned and a box office failure but Ron Perlman did have a chance to take on the role again in that film and the absence of Del Toro is a big reason why Perlman stayed away.

In an interview with "ComicBookMovie.com", Perlman revealed he had the option of returning for the new HELLBOY film but ultimately turned it down:

"The reboot was something I had the opportunity to participate in and decided that the only version of Hellboy I'm interested in is the one I do with Guillermo and so in walking away from it, I truly walked away from it, and haven't seen it or heard much about it. I wished them well, but it was not in my bailiwick."

Perlman goes on the say that although HELLBOY was ultimately rebooted, he seemed to insinuate that a third film, connected to the two previously directed by Del Toro, could happen if the director wasn't so busy:

"The only thing that's stopping the third Hellboy is the fact that Guillermo is one of the busiest guys in the business. He couldn't do it with all the stuff he's got lined up even if he wanted to. The two films had nothing to do with one another."

Perlman really feels that Guillermo del Toro is essential to the success of the HELLBOY films. Ron Perlman may be the face of the character but Del Toro is the architect of the world that allowed Perlman to truly disappear into the role. Del Toro has been very vocal in the past about how the HELLBOY films were a labor of love for him because he's a true fan of the material. In fact, Del Toro was trying to make HELLBOY happen before the first X-MEN hit the big screen in 2000. Earlier this year, Del Toro talked about how long HELLBOY languished in development until comic book films started to gain traction at the box office:

"The first Hellboy movie was developed before even X-Men was on film. I remember visiting the Mystery Men set to try to convince Universal to green light it. It languished for a long time. To my mind, the first Blade was instrumental in showing how superhero movies could exist at the end of the 20th century. There was a collision of Dark City and Blade that somehow, in subtle ways paved the way for The Matrix to explode into the world. But, still, back then it was a countermovement to try and do superhero films, especially with material that didn't have Marvel numbers."

It appears that Perlman has moved on from the Hellboy character but it seems like if Del Toro had a great idea for a third film of his string of HELLBOY films, Perlman wouldn't hesitate to do it. Do YOU think Guillermo del Toro should revisit HELLBOY again? Do YOU want to see Ron Perlman back in the role?