Hellboy: The Crooked Man

Last updated

Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Directed by Brian Taylor
Screenplay by
Based on Hellboy
by Mike Mignola
Produced by
Starring
Production
companies
Distributed by Ketchup Entertainment
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is an upcoming American superhero horror film, based on the Dark Horse Comics character Hellboy created by Mike Mignola. Produced by Millennium Media, Dark Horse Entertainment, Nu Boyana Film Studios, and Campbell Grobman Films, and distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, it is the second reboot of the Hellboy film series and is the fourth live-action entry in the franchise. It is directed by Brian Taylor, from a screenplay he wrote with Mignola and Christopher Golden specifically deriving from The Crooked Man limited series written by Mignola. It stars Jack Kesy as Hellboy, alongside Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph. Filming began in March 2023, in Bulgaria, and wrapped in May.

Contents

Premise

"In the 1950s, Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent, stranded in rural Appalachia, discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy's past: the Crooked Man." [2]

Cast

Production

Development

In February 2023, Millennium Media announced plans for a new live-action reboot titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man, the first in a potential series of films. Production is scheduled to begin in April 2023 in Bulgaria with Brian Taylor directing from a script by comics creator Mike Mignola and frequent collaborator Christopher Golden, based on the 2008 comic miniseries of the same name. The film is to be co-produced between Nu Boyana Film Studios and Campbell Grobman Films and is presented by Millennium Media in association with Dark Horse Entertainment. [2] Taylor expressed his intentions to "reset" the film series and depict a younger and wandering version of Hellboy with a folk horror influence similar to the comics; Taylor also confirmed that the film would be R-rated in order to embrace the "dark and scary and violent and adult" elements of the comics. [5] The following month, Jack Kesy was announced to portray Hellboy, [3] and Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph were cast as Tom Ferrell and Bobbie Jo Song. [4] In September, Ketchup Entertainment announced that it would distribute the film, as well as Joseph Marcell, Leah McNamara, Hannah Margetson, and Martin Bassindale were cast in undisclosed roles. [6]

Filming

Principal photography began in March 2023, in Bulgaria, [2] and wrapped on May 15. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Horse Comics</span> American comic book and manga publisher

Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon, comic book shops known as Pegasus Books and founded in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellboy</span> Comic book superhero

Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers. The character has been adapted into three live-action feature films – two starring Ron Perlman in 2004 and 2008 in the title role, and the 2019 reboot which starred David Harbour, as well as two straight-to-DVD animated films, again starring Perlman, and four video games – Asylum Seeker, The Science of Evil, as a playable character in Injustice 2, and Web of Wyrd. A fourth live-action film and second reboot, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, will star Jack Kesy as the character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense</span> Fictional government agency

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola. The B.P.R.D. originally appeared in the Hellboy comics and has since become a major part of its expanded universe, where it was supposedly founded by the United States and United Kingdom governments, and charged with researching the occult, paranormal and supernatural, and also defending against their dangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Mignola</span> American comic artist and writer

Michael Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer best known for creating Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including B.P.R.D., Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson, and various spin-offs. He has also created other supernatural and paranormal themed titles for Dark Horse including Baltimore, Joe Golem, and The Amazing Screw-On Head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Arcudi</span> American comic book writer

John Arcudi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on The Mask and B.P.R.D. and his series Major Bummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Allie</span> American comics writer and editor

Scott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, best known as an editor and executive at Dark Horse Comics from 1994 to 2017. During this time he edited works including Hellboy and related series, and The Umbrella Academy. He continued editing for Dark Horse as a freelancer, until the company severed ties with him in 2020 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lobster Johnson</span> Comic book character

Lobster Johnson is a fictional character featured in the Hellboy and Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. He was created by Mike Mignola.

Dark Horse Entertainment is a motion picture and television production arm of American comic book publishing company Dark Horse Comics, founded in 1992. They also have a sub-label, Dark Horse Indie. They have their headquarters in Milwaukie, Oregon.

<i>Hellboy II: The Golden Army</i> 2008 film by Guillermo del Toro

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name, created by Mike Mignola. Produced by Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin in association with Dark Horse Entertainment, and distributed by Universal Pictures, it is a sequel to Hellboy (2004) and is the second live-action film in the franchise. Directed and written by Guillermo del Toro from a story he co-wrote with Mignola, the film stars Ron Perlman as Hellboy, alongside Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Hurt. In the film, Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense must battle a mythical prince who plans to reclaim the world for his magical kindred.

<i>Hellboy</i> (2004 film) 2004 superhero film by Guillermo del Toro

Hellboy is a 2004 American superhero film based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name, created by Mike Mignola. Produced by Lawrence Gordon and Lloyd Levin in association with Dark Horse Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the first live-action film in the franchise. Directed and written by Guillermo del Toro, the film stars Ron Perlman in the title role, alongside Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, and John Hurt. The film draws inspiration from the debut comic Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. In the film, a charismatic demon-turned-investigator named "Hellboy" works with the secretive Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to suppress paranormal threats, but a resurrected sorcerer seeks to make Hellboy fulfill his destiny by triggering the apocalypse.

Brian Taylor is an American filmmaker. He is best known for collaborating with Mark Neveldine in the writing and directing team Neveldine/Taylor.

<i>Hellboy: The Crooked Man and Others</i> 2008 comic book trade paperback

Hellboy: The Crooked Man and Others is the tenth collected edition of Mike Mignola's comic book series Hellboy, collecting Hellboy: The Crooked Man #1–3, Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch, Hellboy: They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships and the story "The Mole" from "Free Comic Book Day 2008: Hellboy." The collected edition features an introduction by Gahan Wilson. As with Hellboy stories generally, it was published by Dark Horse Comics.

The Hellboy Universe is the fictional universe of the Hellboy comic and its various spinoffs, created by Mike Mignola. Its first appearance was in a black-and-white, four-page promotional comic by Mike Mignola with a script by John Byrne published by Dark Horse Comics in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, distributed at the San Diego Comic-Con. The Hellboy Universe currently spans over eighty trade paperbacks. It is also sometimes informally called the "Mignolaverse".

<i>Hellboy</i> (2019 film) Film by Neil Marshall

Hellboy is a 2019 superhero film based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name, created by Mike Mignola. A reboot of the Hellboy film series, it is the third live-action entry in the franchise; directed by Neil Marshall, the film stars David Harbour in the title role, alongside Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, and Thomas Haden Church. The film draws inspiration from the comic books Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, The Storm and the Fury, and Hellboy in Mexico. In the film, Hellboy struggles with his psyche while preventing a resurrected sorceress from conquering the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kesy</span> American actor

Jack Kesy is an American actor. On television, he has portrayed Gabriel Bolivar on the FX horror drama The Strain (2014–2016) and Roller Husser on the TNT dark comedy Claws (2017–19). He also played Black Tom Cassidy in the Marvel Comics film Deadpool 2 (2018).

Tyler Crook is an American comics artist. He broke into comics in 2011 with Petrograd, written by Philip Gelatt and published by Oni Press, and in 2012 he won the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award. He is best known for his work on Mike Mignola and John Arcudi's B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth, Harrow County, which he co-created with Cullen Bunn, and his solo comic book series The Lonesome Hunters.

Dirty Angels is an upcoming American action thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, with a script co-written by Campbell, Alissa Sullivan, Jonas McCord and Gene Quintano. It stars Eva Green, Ruby Rose, Maria Bakalova, Rona-Lee Shimon, Jonica T. Gibbs and Christopher Backus.

Adeline Rudolph is a Hong Kong-born actress. She began her career in modeling before making her debut in the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018–2020). She has since appeared in the CW series Riverdale (2021) and the Netflix adaptation of Resident Evil (2022). She is set to portray Kitana in the Mortal Kombat sequel.

References

  1. "Hellboy: The Crooked Man - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Wiseman, Andreas (February 18, 2023). "'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' Plot & Production Details Revealed By Millennium; Reboot To Be A "Departure" & First In New Series — EFM". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas (March 2, 2023). "'Deadpool 2' Star Jack Kesy Cast As Hellboy In Reboot 'The Crooked Man'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Wiseman, Andreas (March 3, 2023). "'Hellboy' Reboot 'The Crooked Man' Adds 'Yellowstone' Star Jefferson White & 'Resident Evil's Adeline Rudolph". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. O'Rourke, Ryan (February 20, 2023). "'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' Will Be an R-Rated Folk Horror Movie [Exclusive]". Collider . Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. Kroll, Justin (September 11, 2023). "Ketchup Entertainment Lands Rights To New 'Hellboy' Reboot 'The Crooked Man' Starring Jack Kesy". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  7. Barnhardt, Adam (May 15, 2023). "New Hellboy Reboot Wraps Filming". ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.