Until Jon Favreau’s Iron Man in 2008, Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy (2004) set the gold standard for visually spectacular superhero movies. Now, Neil Marshall, director of The Descent, Dog Soldiers, and episodes of Game of Thrones, will helm the reboot.
Comics artist and writer Mike Mignola’s hybrid of horror, fantasy, and heroics first appeared in 1993. Since then, the titular character has inspired del Toro’s two moderately successful feature films, a couple of animated releases, and video games, demonstrating that creator-owned comics have some pull in Hollywood.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ed Skrein, who played the antagonist Ajax in Deadpool, has joined the cast of Marshall’s reboot. However, there has already been resistance to the announcement from The Mary Sue and HuffPost. In the reboot, the British Skrein will portray Major Ben Daimio – a Japanese-American character. Many fans and reporters are accusing studio executives of whitewashing.
With Stranger Thing‘s David Harbour replacing Ron Perlman as the good-intentioned, gun-wielding demon and Milla Jovovich as the villainous Nimue the Blood Queen, the previous casting announcements were positively met, but it remains to be seen if Marshall’s reboot will overcome this casting controversy and deliver a satisfying action romp.
Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen is scheduled for release some time in 2018 from Lionsgate.
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