Set Visit: Everything we learned from Hellboy!

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Last year I had the opportunity to travel to Bulgaria to visit the set of the newest incarnation of Hellboy, this time directed by Game of Thrones and THE DESCENT director Neil Marhsall and starring Stranger Things' David Harbour as Big Red himself. Based on the series of comics by Mike Mignola, this new adaptation is said to follow the source material much closer than the previous two films from director Guillermo del Toro. During the visit we witnessed the filming of a scene that involved Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. conversing with an evil spirit in a hall filled with decapitated and stuffed troll and monster heads and toured a few other sets, including Professor Broom's office/headquarters (played this time by Ian McShane), a library, a cave and a massive outdoor set that served as a location for a sequence involving The Blood Queen, played by Milla Jovovich.

So far we've seen two trailers for the new adaptation, both showing a lot of promise, but also some trepidation in terms of just what kind of film this new HELLBOY will be. Well, hopefully the below nuggets we gleaned from the set visit will help shed some light on that and serve to excite you (or not) in what looks to be a darker take on the material, but still with the comedic undertones we've come to expect. Here's what we learned:

The decision to make a reboot of Hellboy, rather than a part 3, was due largely to Guillermo del Toro choosing not to pursue the project and the producers couldn't imagine making a sequel without him or original Hellboy star Ron Perlman, making a reboot the only opportunity to pursue.

Creator Mike Mignola has been heavily involved in this new version of Hellboy, offering insight and guidance to the filmmakers and actors, helping to ensure this is a comics-accurate interpretation of the Hellboy universe.

Neil Marshall says that once David Harbour's name was entered into the mix it was their goal to get him to play Hellboy. Nobody else was considered once Harbour was asked.d

David Harbour was offered the role and sent a script while filming Stranger Things season 2 and was both horrified and excited at the prospect of playing Hellboy.

Harbour says that this new version of Hellboy is a lot darker and scarier than most superhero movies, minus things like LOGAN, DEADPOOL or The Dark Knight Trilogy.

The film will draw heavily from "The Wild Hunt" storyline from the comics, while weaving in other storylines like "Darkness Calls" and standalone tales as well. The Wild Hunt also helped in creating a kind of back-door origin story for Hellboy, rather than retelling it in the same old fashion.

Harbour had a lot of trepidation about taking on the role and didn't want it to feel like a "fuck you" to fans of the del Toro films, but ultimately made peace with it by likening it to something like Hamlet, where a bunch of talented actors offer their take on a particular character.

Harbour wanted his take on Hellboy to be his own and totally different from what Ron Perlman did in the del Toro films. His focus was to make Hellboy more angsty and tortured with an element of Frankenstein with more self-loathing and loneliness as he wrestles with his fate of becoming The Beast of The Apocalypse.

Harbour says that Neil Marshall has created a much darker, gothic world for this version in contrast to del Toro's more colorful palate.

Harbour says that the stunts in Hellboy are the most brutal he's ever had to do.

Harbour says that Hellboy and Alice's relationship is "avuncular" and he insisted on it being well known that Hellboy cannot have sex with a human being, although embracing his dark fate would potentially allow that.

Mike Mignola told Harbour that Hellboy's creation was based on Mignola's father in terms of the rugged, working class type personality with the humor coming from Mignola's own personality.

Harbour researched and referenced the comics greatly for the role and even kept a book that was specifically Hellboy gestures, poses, etc. to help inform his performance.

Harbour helped find Hellboy's more urban, New York style accent by attributing it to his fetishization of Lobster Johnson, who he idolizes (and is rumored to be in the film in some form with Thomas Haden Church playing him) and uses to form his own identity as a kind of '50 style detective.

Both Harbour and Marshall say they're not trying to focus on universe building or thinking about sequels with this new adaptation. Instead, they are simply focusing on making the best possible film they can and letting the success of that determine a sequel.

Harbour wanted Hellboy to be more of a messy fighter, rather than a finely trained expert, likening him more to a pub brawler with a lot of strength and ability. However, there are also the more spectacular and granduer action moments as in the comics, but they're balanced out with the messier aspects of his fighting style.

This version of Hellboy will have hooves for feet, which is how it is in the comics, but not in the del Toro films.

Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Ben Daimio was "deeply moved and very impressed" that actor Ed Skrein stepped down from the role in order for an Asian actor to portray the character (who is Asian in the comics) and gives Skrein a lot of credit for taking that kind of responsibility.

Ben Daimio will have a British accent in the film, whereas in the comics he is actually Japanese American.

Alistair Petrie, who you may remember from ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY is playing Lord Adam Glaren, a character from the comics who is a member of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, a group dedicated to preserving ancient and secret knowledge.

Director Neil Marshall was approached for his ability to make a more grounded horror film, while still being able to weave in the more fantastical elements, finding a strong balance between the two.

Marshall says that he typically only saw Harbour in his Hellboy make-up from the beginning to the end of the day and came to only think of him as Hellboy, as he was in costume and inside the role continuously.

Marshall says Milla Jovovich delivered tenfold on what they expected from her and gave a powerhouse performance as The Blood Queen.

Marshall wanted to use as much practical effects as possible, utilizing CGI only when necessary and mostly to enhance a performance or character that was already there physically.

According to Neil Marshall says the film will be darker and bloodier than we've seen before of the Hellboy films with an aim toward venturing into darker places, both physically and emotionally with the characters.

The R-rating on the film was determined by the material, rather than making an R-rated movie just for the hell of it. It's purely a result of adapting the content of the comics, not an attempt to make something more intense than it already was on the page. There was no pressure to make a PG-13, as films like Deadpool and Logan had already proven that it wasn't necessary for success and the smaller budget allowed them to take more chances.

Other Hellboy stories were looked at as launching off points for this film, but they ultimately decided to start with The Blood Queen as she is such a good nemesis for Hellboy. Mashall also liked the idea of having a female villain "kick the shit" out of Hellboy.

Once Marshall took on the gig, he had an exchange with Guillermo del Toro to make sure he was cool with him taking on the film, assuring him that it would be something very different than what he'd done. Del Toro assurred Mashall he was cool with it and it was very magnanimous about it.

Marshall hopes that audiences will see the film as a new version of Hellboy rather than a comparison or companion to the del Toro films.

HELLBOY blasts into theaters on April 12th, 2019!

CHECK OUT our interviews with David Harbour and director Neil Marshall RIGHT HERE!

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