Hellboy Reboot Director Talks Effects and R Rating

Hellboy reboot director talks effects and R-rating

Hellboy reboot director Neil Marshall has spoken to Mick Garris on the great Post Mortem podcast (via ScreenRant) about his plans for Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, including a liberal application of practical effects as well as why the film will be rated R.

“It’s definitely going to be as practical as we can possibly make it,” said Marshall, who has used loads of on-set effects work on films like The Descent, Dog Soldiers and Doomsday. “I love to do stuff in camera whenever I possibly can, and use CG as the amazing tool that it is, to enhance or expand upon the world, but not to use it to replace reality, when you can do it [for] real.”

As for the R rating, it sounds like it won’t be quite the over-the-top, foul-mouthed bloodbath some fans might be expecting. It may simply be so Marshall can apply the appropriate amount of intensity as portrayed in the comic book.

“We’ve been granted permission to do it R-rated, which for me is just like taking the cuffs off,” Marshall continued. “It’s like, okay, so now we can just make the movie we want to make. It’s not like I’m going to force it to be R-rated, but if it happens to come out that way, just because of my own sensibilities, then fine. And nobody’s going to stop us. So, that’s the main [difference]. And I’m sure, obviously, the success of things like ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Logan’ have not hurt that cause. But, also, when you go back the original material, it is kind of bloody, so I’m going to embrace that.”

Millennium Films is hoping to start production on the film this September with director Neil Marshall (The Descent, Game of Thrones) behind the camera and starring David Harbour of Stranger Things as the title hero. The film will also feature a script by Andrew Cosby (Eureka), Christopher Golden and Mignola.

First appearing in comics in 1993, Hellboy is a demon summoned from Hell by the Nazi occultists near the end of World War II. Raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm of Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy went on to be billed as “The World’s greatest occult detective.” The adventures of the character have been chronicled in countless comics, including his time with the Bureau, his early years as a young boy, and even the time he spent in hell after dying on Earth. The main Hellboy title has also served as a launching pad for other characters and stories including Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson, BPRD, Sledgehammer 44 and others!

Although it is unknown if the “Blood Queen” of the title is The Queen of Blood (also known as Nimue) from the comics, that Arthurian-era character was resurrected to bring Hellboy to his adversary Gruagach. Hellboy awakens an army of dead knights to battle her, and while Nimue is defeated she ultimately winds up dragging the hero with her to hell.

The first Hellboy movie hit theaters in April of 2004 with Ron Perlman in the title role. It was produced on a $66 million budget and earned $99 million worldwide. Del Toro’s sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, debuted in July of 2008 on a budget of $85 million and earned $160.3 million.