David Harbour’s friends tried convincing him not to play Hellboy

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Although it grew increasingly unlikely that Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman would reunite for a third HELLBOY film, thereby completing their trilogy, that didn't stop fans from holding out hope that Hellboy might return one day, and return he did, just not in the form they were expecting. Last year it was announced that the franchise would be rebooted with Neil Marshall (THE DESCENT) directing and David Harbour (Stranger Things) stepping into the lead role for a "darker, more gruesome version of Hellboy" which will be R-rated. Although Harbour wasn't nervous about taking on the role, he revealed to THR that some of his "prominent nerd" friends tried talking him out of it.

I was approached by some very prominent nerds whom I know very well, and I respect their opinions because they're friends of mine, who were like, 'Dude, step away from the Hellboy. Step away.'

Despite the urging that he should turn down the role, David Harbour felt that his Hellboy will be a unique take on the character, which means that fans will hopefully be able to enjoy both versions of Hellboy. "I can like Michael Keaton's Batman and I can like Christian Bale's Batman," Harbour said. "I can like Jack Nicolson's Joker and I can like Heath Ledger's Joker. There's other Jokers I don't have to like." The actor added that the upcoming reboot will bring Hellboy closer to his comic persona.

[The comics] seem much more macabre to me, they seem much more melancholy, they seem much more primal, more struggle, more angst. And I felt like those other two movies were funnier and brighter and kind of sillier in a way, which was great for what it was. But I thought to approach this material in a different light and to do something completely different than what they had done. This was something that I couldn't pass up because I love those [Mike] Mignola comics. And the mythos we are in now, I feel like two strains are running. They are making these kind of popcorn-y, somewhat two-dimensional comic book movies and then there is this strain like Logan and Deadpool. That is what I am drawn to in the genre. I would love to do a Hellboy where you love him, but you're also not quite sure about him.

Although David Harbour worked hard to get into shape to play Hellboy, he reassured Stranger Things fans that his "dad bod" will return for the third season of the Netflix series. "Look, here's the thing, dad bod is here to stay," Harbour said. "I did a lot of strength and power training because I felt like the amount of stunts I was doing is crazy, so I wanted to be powerful. But we were fitting the prosthetics while I was shooting Stranger Things, and I wasn't allowed to lose that much weight. Don't worry! The dad bod is back in season three, kids. I'll take care of you!" 

HELLBOY is set for a January 11, 2019 release.