The upcoming Hellboy reboot The Crooked Man is currently in development, and according to the creator of the iconic comic series, the script for the film is shaping up to be R-rated, and stick to a more horror genre.
Speaking to Variety in an interview, comic book artist and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola updated fans on the status of the film, saying that he just read a new draft for it. According to Mignola, the new film will not only be an R-rated film but also said that director Brian Taylor will be sticking to the horror genre that the Hellboy comics often reside in.
“His intention is to make a horror movie, so that’ll be nice,” said Mignola. “That’ll be interesting. I read the new draft of the screenplay yesterday, and yes, it is definitely R. It’s the first Hellboy script that I read and I went, ‘Oh, it’s a horror movie,’ which is what I wanted. Taylor does not have a reputation as a horror movie director. But, so far, we’ve had two horror movie directors make Hellboy movies and we’ve never gotten a horror movie.”
Mignola went on to note that the story of the comics that the film is set to adapt, The Crooked Man, is the best he’s ever written, and he’s glad that such a “small” story is being used for the new film.
“For years, we’ve been saying, if you’re going to make a Hellboy movie, make it small. And the perfect story to do that with is my personal favorite, The Crooked Man. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written. It’s beautifully illustrated by Richard Corben, and it’s a solid story that doesn’t involve a million different characters. Everybody actually agreed from the very beginning, ‘Yes, we want to do that one.’ Budget-wise, it’s good because it’s a lower budget kind of a story. It’s not the Hellboy origin. It’s not Hellboy saving the world. It’s not huge. It’s a subtle, dark, little folk horror story.”
The Crooked Man is being directed by Brian Taylor (Crank) from a script by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Chris Golden.
The most recent Hellboy movie was released in 2019 and starred David Harbour. It received largely negative reception from critics and fans and was compared to the popular Guillermo del Toro Hellboy movies of the mid-2000s.
