ABANDON ALL HOPE FOR HELLBOY 3

Sadface. Love Hellboy.

 

One future Guillermo project dead. Only a billion more left.

At this point, I just want Guillermo to direct SOMETHING that doesn't get shitcanned. I'm glad he's producing a lot of stuff, but it's been three years since The Golden Army, so I hope Pacific Rim doesn't encounter any insurmountable problems.

 

And I'm still pissed about Mountains. Goddammit, Universal.

Goddammit.

I love Hellboy because it is the only filmic property I know of that successfully (artistically, not necessarily commercially) combines the horror and superhero genre. In my mind, this is a fertile ground for fantastical storytelling that is woefully underused, and when it is done (ahem, VAN HELSING, ahem) it is done really badly. The first Hellboy film is the only film to pull it off cinematically IMO, and is one of the reasons I prefer it to the more straight fantasy sequel. I am sad to see this film series go.

Doesn't really bother me that much, to be honest. Del Toro should be working on better stuff than Hellboy.

::cough::

 

Having said that, this is however the only one to successfully fuse those genres with heart and comedy.

 

Yeah, I'll give you Constantine, though the character has always been a more world-weary film noir archetype to me than a proper superhero. I do like the film quite a bit.
 

 

Hey, as much as I love the films, after trying twice and not managing to go anywhere, it's only logical for him to say "Fuck this" and try something else.

Shite, so no chance of Del Toro releasing his plan for Hellboy 3 anyway?

The 1st movie brought me to the comics so I will always be thankful. And the 2nd is just so so pretty.

Guillermo has the worst luck with American studios.

 

Also CONSTANTINE isn't very good.

DARKMAN, though that isn't supernatural horror.

 

Give me Constantine over Hellboy any day of the week.

This doesn't sound any more negative than shit he's said in the past: http://www.chud.com/24883/ron-perlman-vetoing-hellboy-3/

 

Have never really expected 3 to happen, but I will always be bummed not to see the promise of the really evocative scene with the death angel in 2 paid off.

 

EDIT: Constantine is fucking great.

 

You mean the character and not the godawful piece of flaming shit movie right?

 

It bums me out that Del Toro isn't doing another HB. I have an insane amount of love for the first two and they are quite possibly two of the best comic book horror movies ever made.

 

 

 

I love you guys.

Offtopic, though, I know.

I do hope that he at least tells us what was going to happen in Hellboy 3.  Sucks that I'll never see it, but I abandoned hope a while ago.

Constantine was a pleasant surprise but I'd put it around Hellboy levels, if that. Comparing it to Hellboy 2 makes me want to laugh.

 

Yeah, DARKMAN counts in the same way you could say The Hulk is a superhero/horror combo -- the Mad scientist/Jekyll & Hyde/Frankenstein meets superhero. But HELLBOY seems like the most authentic grafting of the two genres, especially considering the supernatural elements. 
 

 

...Constantine is actually good? I stayed away because of Keanu. I love the big lug, but he is completely, utterly wrong for that character.

As I said, a pleasant surprise. Nothing more.

 

As you can tell, the opinions range from "awesome" to "piece of flaming shit". I fucking LOVE it and am much more disheartened by the fact that we'll never see a sequel to that than I am by this news.

Keanu acquits himself just fine in the film. I'd say he puts more into that performance than he did as Neo. Still, I'd prefer a Daniel Craig Constantine or a Michael Fassbender Constantine.

Big enough fan of ol HB to have a related tattoo and even I'm saying "good" with the coming of this news. The silver screen has never really been able to capture the essence of what Hellboy is on the page and I would've rather it stayed there, despite being a del Toro fan.

Hmmm... I may check it out at some point then. Any film with Tilda Swinton as an androgynous angel and Peter Stromare as Satan can't be all bad, can it?

 

The Constantine cult continues to mystify me.

Honestly, I don't really get the love for the Hellboy movies. To me they feel too much in the vein of late 80s, early 90s superhero movies which isn't really a good thing. Worst of all though is that they have a lot of good stuff going on with the cast and the designs, but its just kind of boring. It's worse in the first one where there is an insufferable audience identification character as the lead instead of Hellboy himself. 

 

I feel that Del Toro has really only made two good movies: Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone. 

Del Toro never quite nailed Hellboy.  The films were pretty, butI knew we were in trouble at the start of the first film when the tough-as-nails Lee Marvin/Sgt. Rock character had been replaced by someone out of Hogan's heroes. 

 

 

Whoever does the next one, less Barry Manilow, more chicken paprika, baby.

Barry Manilow was the best part of the last Hellboy film, strange enough. So no.

 

But I'd like to see Del Toro work on some more original projects, so I don't really care either way.

I kind of liked that Guillermo did his own spin on Hellboy, honestly.

Worst news all day.

 

I actually prefer the Hellboy films to the comics. It's all about the chemistry between the actors, and the tremendou sense of pulpy fun Del Toro managed to nail. How a generation that harps on Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones went cold on them I've no idea, as the Hellboys are far closer in spirit to those pieces than to any superhero film I've seen.

 

Also, 1 was just as good as 2 if you saw the director's cut, which redeemed the theatrical no end.

NoMoreMrNiceGaius, To me, Guillermo Del Toro directed...3 Great Films!

1) Hellboy 2

2) Blade II

3) Hellboy

 

I really have no interest in...Any of Guillermo's future films unless there is either a...MARVELous reunion with Wesley Snipes for a new Blade or some other Super and Heroic property or a GDT...Godzilla or Tarzan as well!

I've thoroughly enjoyed both of the Hellboy films and it's pretty sad news that we'll never see Del Toro playing in the sandbox again, so to speak. Honestly though, at this point I just want to see the man make another movie again.

 

Oh and by the way Duke Fleed, you are a man with silly taste, but it is really refreshing to see someone be so enthusiastic and positive about this kind of stuff online. Godspeed my friend. Godspeed.

JLassiter, Thank you for the kind words.  Your Chevy Chase Avatar is...Cool!

Disappointing news, as I dug both films (though combine the aesthetics of the first and the cast of the second and damn that would have been a film). Also, wasn't it Mignola putting the brakes on in the past because he didn't want to jump ahead of comic continuity or something? Considering Del Toro's schedule, I can't really blame him for saying "fuck it" and moving on.

Edited by Splatoon - 6/22/11 at 6:54am

Goddamn this is disapointing news! I thoroughly enjoyed both Hellboy films and definitely feel it was the perfect franchise for Del Toro. I really hope that nobody else tries to make this.

Come on, man. I think Brett Ratner could bring a lot to Hellboy 3.

Well, if the screenplay can't be a full-fledged live-action epic, I wouldn't mind if del Toro got the cast together to voice the screenplay for a DTV animated feature.  Didn't HBII sell enough BRs and DVDs to justify a project like that?  I mean, it's a total fanboy wish, but I'm sure enough fans globally would buy it.

They did two DTV animated features already, and even they didn't do well enough to justify a third (which was planned).

 

This isn't really surprising news.  Even on the commentary for Hellboy II Del Toro sounded pretty defeated about ever being able to make III happen.  After The Hobbit and Mountains, I'm kind of surprised he hasn't given up on Hollywood altogether.  Hopefully Pacific Rim is a hit, because at this point he really needs one.

 

 

Based on the unshot extended ending in the screenplay/motion comic version from the DVD and stuff he said in the commentary, my guess: 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

Constantine was awesome.

 

Hellboy was great and the sequel well I didn't like it. Can't say i'm sad that a 3rd won't be made.

Honestly, as a big fan of the series, and in particular of Perlman in the role, I can live without Hellboy 3, mostly because it sounds like it was going to be such a bummer. Part of me wishes it was going to be complete trilogy, but hey, the character has been realized well on film, and I think I'd rather just leave him in a good place. I'm not sure the tone of the series could support a bunch of high tragedy anyway.

So following the production nof the first movie was what led me to CHUD back in 2004. I wanted to love that movie so much, and for a good couple of years I convinced myself it was great. Looking back now, both films have moderate problems.
- The first has fairly poor action
- Myers is boring
- The second has some odd plotting around the crown and how easily it could be destroyed.
- Occasionally GDT goes too goofy or unrealistic. Kroenen deflecting bullets, etc
- It never hits that dark atmosphere the comic does so well.
- I never liked that they skewed Hellboy's maturity level down to a petulant teenager.

In the end, I think they are flawed films while his Spanish ones are perfect. And nothing really does Hellboy like an original Mignola written/drawn comic.
Edited by Kriegaffe - 6/21/11 at 1:35am

Stormare as Satan, man. Enough for CONSTANTINE to get a passing grade. The rest of the stuff that works is just icing on the cake.

I'm bummed out that Hellboy III will likely never happen, but deep down I knew it never would anyway.  I just hope he stops attaching himself to direct countless adaptations and goes down the more original route for his directorial output.  He can produce all the adaptations and remakes he wants, but I want to see him start realizing the countless original scripts he's been talking up for years.  I'll take At the Mountains of Madness as one of the few exceptions to this.  Here's hoping Pacific Rim is the hit that gets him started down that path again.

 

Here's a look at what GDT is (supposedly) still attached to direct and/or produce:

 

 

Originals:

Montecristo

Crimson Peak

Saturn and the End of Days

3993

Mephisto's Bridge

Trollhunters

 

 

Adaptations:

At the Mountains of Madness

The Haunted Mansion

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Pinocchio

Slaughterhouse-Five

The Witches

Drood

The Champions

Deadman

The Coffin

Hater

 

 

I'm sure there are more that I am forgetting.  Also, I left Frankenstein off the list because I wasn't too sure how to classify it.  Universal has touted it as a new adaptation of the Shelley novel, but anytime GDT speaks of it he makes it sound more like an original sequel to the book than anything else.  Of all of his projects in the works, the three I'd like to see him make the most are At the Mountains of Madness, Saturn and the End of Days, and Montecristo.  The latter is apparently a "Gothic spaghetti western" that is a loose adaptation of the Dumas classic with a gunslinger who has a clockwork hand.  How can a Del Toro fan NOT want to see him actually make that movie?!?!?!?!?

 

Also, if Del Toro chases after Disney's Maleficent liked he has mused about recently, I might just cry.  The man already has plenty of potential moneymaker studio projects to make so he can fund his passion projects.  He doesn't need to add another to the list.