Hellboy Creator Was ‘Unhappy’ With Guillermo del Toro’s The Golden Army

Hellboy Creator Was 'Unhappy' With Guillermo del Toro's The Golden Army

As a long-time fan of the Hellboy universe, I must admit that my emotions are as complex as the creatures from the Red Sands themselves. On one hand, Guillermo del Toro’s interpretation of Hellboy was nothing short of a visual masterpiece, with Ron Perlman embodying the titular character in a way that felt both iconic and authentic. However, listening to Mike Mignola’s reflections on Hellboy II: The Golden Army, I can’t help but feel a twinge of understanding for his dissatisfaction.

Mike Mignola, the creator behind the iconic character Hellboy, has always had a unique artistic vision for his character that didn’t quite align with Guillermo del Toro’s 2008 adaptation in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, starring Ron Perlman. Del Toro’s film was widely praised, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to complete his planned trilogy due to various reasons. Fifteen years later, Mignola has teamed up to create a new Hellboy reboot titled The Crooked Man, which is set to hit theaters later this year.

In a chat with Screen Rant for the movie “The Crooked Man,” Mike Mignola shares his thoughts about Guillermo del Toro’s “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” and his personal gripes with the production. Mignola explains that he felt his three-month involvement in the film didn’t make a difference as none of it seemed to influence what eventually reached theaters. Expressing a preference for independence, Mignola says, “I enjoy working in solitude to create work I can manage.” He does not detail the specific issues he had with the movie, but Mignola acknowledges that his problems with “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” stem from his personal experience working on it rather than how viewers perceived the film.

As a devoted fan, I must confess that the second movie left me feeling quite disheartened. It’s my personal predicament, and I admit I struggled to find a balanced view of the film. Frankly, I encountered some issues with the film, which left me thinking, ‘If only I had spent those three months in pre-production at my studio, I could have created a couple of comics that would have perfectly aligned with my vision.’

Hellboy Creator Is Doing His Own Movie

Hellboy Creator Was 'Unhappy' With Guillermo del Toro's The Golden Army

Mike Mignola is closely involved in the upcoming, budget-restricted remake called “Hellboy: The Crooked Man“, produced by Millennium Media. He collaborated on the film’s script with director Brian Taylor and author Christopher Golden.The Crooked Man deviates from the tone of Del Toro’s trilogy, focusing more on the horror elements of the story rather than the previous installments. The lead actor, Jack Kesy (from Deadpool 2), has described “The Crooked Man” as the most authentic Hellboy adaptation yet.

In my perspective, this film is undeniably terrifying, and it’s a faithful adaptation of Mike Mignola’s comics like no other before. He’s genuinely thrilled about it. You see, it seems as if scenes were lifted directly from the comic book, almost frame by frame… It’s gritty, it’s darker, it’s rated R, it’s spookier, it’s grimier. I believe this is exactly what Mike had envisioned for it.

The official trailer alone makes it clear Mignola has a much different, grounded vision for Hellboy than del Toro’s more fantastical version. The horror aspects are elevated, accompanied by a more grounded world-building approach. Granted, the production quality and overall tone seem like a step-down, a byproduct of it having a much smaller budget and a creator determined to make the project as different as possible to what audiences have grown accustomed to. That said, if the Hellboy creator feels like there has not been a faithful adaptation of his work, then maybe The Crooked Man could surpass admittedly low expectations.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man
is set to be released in theaters in 2024.

2024-09-09 18:01

Hellboy Creator Is Doing His Own Movie

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