Director Brian Taylor, who is directing the latest Hellboy film Hellboy: The Crooked Man, took to social media Tuesday and yesterday to debunk the claims that AI was used at any point of the film’s creation. According to ComicBook.com, the claims of AI usage first appeared at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival by Jonathan Yunger, President of Millennium Films, and is the parent company of Millennium Media, the production company working on Hellboy. 

Yunger would speak about how he could use AI to make thousands of creature designs for a film. “So now I can start to cherry-pick and edit those and then send it to visual effects,” Yunger said. At first, it sounded like this technology was used for Hellboy, but Taylor clarified on X that AI was not used during filming and that both characters, Hellboy and The Crooked Man, were all done practically for film and had no CGI enhancements to them. Not only that, but Yunger would also clarify in a reply to a now-deleted X post that he was speaking about the film The Offering.

to be clear: there is exactly *ZERO* AI used on hellboy: the crooked man. both characters – hellboy and the crooked man – were created and shot 100% gloriously practical, as the movie gods intended, with no cgi enhancement… and look AMAZING. @artofmmignola

— Brian Taylor (@theunrealBT) May 1, 2024

he was misquoted, my man. the comment was referring to a different film, THE OFFERING. rest assured there is zero AI used on HBTCM and our gloriously practical hellboy looks phenomenal. probably the article was written by AI…

— Brian Taylor (@theunrealBT) May 1, 2024

While this quelled some social media frustration, some fans wondered if AI was used at any point in the film’s creation. Taylor would return to X the next day to dispel the rumors and clarified that “all concept art/character design for HBTCM courtesy the incredible source material of [Mike Mignola] and the late great Richard Corben.”

to everyone still on this: no, there was ZERO AI used in preproduction either. not a fan. all concept art/character design for HBTCM courtesy the incredible source material of @artofmmignola and the late great richard corben.

— Brian Taylor (@theunrealBT) May 1, 2024

There has been frustration from audiences who have seen the use of AI in the media. One of the biggest examples last year was Marvel’s Secret Invasion, as AI was used during the introductions of episodes. According to an article by Polygon, director Ali Selim told the website that the use of AI fits with the show’s themes. 

For fans of the Hellboy franchise, this is a win for those who don’t want anything to do with AI in their media. 

As for the contents of the film, it will take place in the 1950s in Appalachia, with Hellboy and a rookie Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense agent finding a community haunted by witches led by the Crooked Man, a devil that has a connection to Hellboy’s past.

The film is expected to be released this year.