Make It So: Hellboy 3
If there’s one thing we geeks love to do, it’s wax theoretical on all the things that could have been or should yet be involving our favorite characters or properties. Whether an unseen final season or a never-produced line of action figures, we want them. Now. Make it so!
Everyone here needs to return for Hellboy 3.
I can’t hold it in any longer, PoP!ulation. I’m hurting for a fix. I needs me some more Hellboy! It’s been eight years since the first Hellboy, four since the Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, and I’m tired of waiting. I’ll even admit that I like the movies more than the comics, and I love the comics. It’s time for director Guillermo del Toro to get behind the camera and star Ron Perlman to have a seat in the make-up chair.
Seriously, has there ever been casting as pitch perfect as Perlman as Hellboy? He was seemingly born to play Mike Mignola’s most famous creation. I shudder to think of the results had the studio gotten their way and cast Vin Diesel as HB. Luckily both Mignola and del Toro wanted Perlman for the gig. Del Toro flat out refused to make the first film without him as the star, a move I applaud him for. The rest of the cast was damn near perfect as well. Selma Blair radiated the right combination of fire and ice as pyrokinetic Liz Sherman. Del Toro regular Doug Jones used all his skills to bring Abe Sapien to life. Heck, David Hyde Pierce, who provided Abe’s voice in the first movie, refused to be credited, do any publicity, or even appear at the premieres, not wanting his presence to take away from Jones’s performance (Jones later provided the voice in HB2). That’s some real class right there. Speaking of voices, Seth MacFarlane nailed Johann Krauss, supporting John Alexander and James Dodd’s physical acting. Jeffery Tambor brings just the right amount of bluster, petulance and authoritativeness to B.P.R.D. head Tom Manning. Finally, even though he was killed in the first film, as seen in the second flashbacks can be used to bring back John Hurt as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm.
Hellboy and his biggest fan.
A third film would cap off the series nicely. The first introduced us to our protagonists and the world of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The second dropped what was unnecessary (sorry, Agent Myers) and expanded the world even further. It also ended on a bit of a cliffhanger with Hellboy having been outed to the world, he, Liz, Abe and Johann quitting the B.P.R.D. in protest of their treatment, and Liz informing the Big Red Guy she was pregnant with their twins. This is a great set-up for the final film in a trilogy. How is this makeshift family going to support itself? Will the Angel of Death’s predictions come true? Would the B.P.R.D. give up on their assets so easily? I doubt it, and what a perfect place to bring in new characters like were-jaguar Captain Ben Daimio and Roger the Homunculus. An animated comic on the DVD also details the resurrection of Kroenen and an appearance by Rasputin’s spirit, suggesting the third film will link back to the apocalyptic concerns of the first.
When (not if) Hellboy 3 does happen, we really have one more person to thank. Someone you’ve probably never heard of. Young Zachary’s wish with the outstanding Make-A-Wish foundation was to meet Hellboy before he succumbed to leukemia. Showing again how awesome he is, Perlman suited up and made his dream a reality. For a while both Perlman and del Toro have been busy with other projects, wanting to do Hellboy 3 but not finding the time. Perlman himself even said they had a small window before he’d consider himself too old for the rigours of the part, and del Toro wouldn’t return without him. Zachary’s wish seems to have lit a fire under both men, making HB3 seem more likely than ever. If it’s possible, the kid deserves at least a cameo in the film for his contribution. If that’s impossible, a dedication or in the very least a “special thanks” is a must. His love of a big, red, pancake-eating, cat-loving demon benefited us all.
Filed Under: Columns • Make it So
A thousand times yes.