Despite a resounding “Hell, yes” from Hellboy 3 fans in a poll last month, director Guillermo del Toro revealed some sad news today: The trilogy is once again dead in the water. Del Toro made the announcement via Twitter, with little detail as to why Legendary Pictures executives will throw money at something like Matt Damon’s The Great Wall but not a beloved cigar-comping demon.
Hellboy 3 Sorry to report: Spoke w all parties. Must report that 100% the sequel will not happen. And that is to be the final thing about it
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) February 21, 2017
When Hellboy, an adaptation of a popular comic book hero created by Mike Mignola, arrived in theaters in 2004, the film landscape was on the cusp of a revolutionary change. The following year Batman Begins would forever alter how audiences and executives viewed comic book adaptations. In the years that followed, Christopher Nolan would turn superhero movies into Oscar contenders and Marvel would birth a blockbuster machine that still shows no sign of running down. But in 2004, most movie-goers saw Hellboy as just the latest fantasy comic book cash-grab from the director of Blade II. But that was before they saw it.
Hellboy was a surprise success both critically and at the box office. On a budget of $66 million, it managed to generate almost $100 million worldwide. Del Toro’s unique style offset what should’ve been a ridiculous concept: a fire-engine red demon that punches evil into submission. Even Roger Ebert was shocked by how much he enjoyed himself, saying “ It’s vibrating with energy, and you can sense the zeal and joy in its making […] You can see [Ron Perlman] in the process of making an impossible character really work.”
With that kind of praise and money, it didn’t take long for the announcement that Hellboy 2 was in the works. But what have been a straightforward transaction fell apart when Revolution Studios’ contract with Sony Pictures ended. By the time they forged a new partnership with Universal Pictures in late 2006, it had been two years since Hellboy, an eternity in the sequel-a-year market. It’d be another two years before the film was ready. Nevertheless, when Hellboy 2: The Golden Army arrived in 2008, it was Guillermo del Toro’s largest opening weekend to date (and wouldn’t be eclipsed until the release of Pacific Rim in 2013). Despite opening one weekend before The Dark Knight, which is most likely responsible for the precipitous 70% drop in audience on the sophomore weekend of Hellboy 2, the sequel pulled in over $160 million worldwide on a budget of $84 million.
Rumors about Hellboy 3 have been percolating since at least 2010, with both del Toro and Ron Perlman being on board for another round. With superheroes being the blockbuster cash cow they are in the current movie ecosystem, Hellboy 3 seems like an easy win. Yet despite fan excitement and the willingness of the cast and crew, it appears Hellboy 3 has withered on the vine for good. Which is just a damn shame.