The cast and creator of Lionsgate’s “Hellboy” reboot took to the main stage of the 2018 New York Comic Con to debut a first glimpse at the upcoming film.
According to reports from the panel, Hellboy’s iconic flaming crown is back along with the character’s biting humor and giant, stone arm. In a cast interview following the panel, “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola, who also co-wrote the script for the reboot, said the film will pick up in the middle of Hellboy’s storyline, while drawing on elements from other story arcs in the comics.
“You have 25 years of comics to choose from…so thank God they wanted me involved to help stitch it together in a way that still felt true to the comic even though we monkey’ed with the story a bit,” Mignola said.
David Harbour, who is taking on the role of the titular character, also confirmed the stronger horror roots of the film in comparison to past director Guillermo Del Toro’s more fantasy approach to the series. Harbour said the film takes inspiration from a lot of the old-school monster movies and often uses practical effects rather than CGI. The Hellboy suit itself is completely real, which Harbour will use to fight real monsters made for each scene.
“There’s this dark, kind of horror-y, monster element to it,” Harbour said. “I think that’s really at its core in a different way a little bit than a superhero movie.”
However, Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense employee Ben Daimio, said the film still maintains the funnier moments that were so prevalent in its predecessors. Harbour would often do several takes and even ad lib lines during filming to inject some comedy into the film’s darker elements, he added.
“Hellboy,” which also stars Milla Jovovich, Sasha Lane, and Ian McShane, is set to hit theaters April 12, 2019.