Deadline brings word fan-favorite Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Resident Evil franchise) has been cast as villain the Blood Queen in the Hellboy reboot! Although it is unknown if the Blood Queen is The Queen of Blood (also known as Nimue) from the comics, that Arthurian-era character was resurrected to bring Hellboy to his adversary Gruagach. Hellboy awakens an army of dead knights to battle her, and while Nimue is defeated, she ultimately winds up dragging the hero with her to hell.
David Harbour of Stranger Things is set to star as the titular hero in the film, which is slated to begin filming in September. Ian McShane (Deadwood, American Gods) will play Hellboy’s adoptive father, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (aka Professor Broom). Neil Marshall (The Descent, Game of Thrones) will direct from a script from Andrew Cosby (Eureka), Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola. Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin will produce with Mike Richardson of Dark Horse Entertainment.
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First appearing in Dark Horse comics beginning in 1993, Hellboy is a demon summoned from Hell by the Nazi occultists near the end of World War II. Raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm of Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy went on to be billed as “The World’s greatest occult detective.” The adventures of the character have been chronicled in countless comics, including his time with the Bureau, his early years as a young boy, and even the time he spent in hell after dying on Earth. The main Hellboy title has also served as a launching pad for other characters and stories, including Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson, BPRD, Sledgehammer 44 and others!
The first Hellboy movie hit theaters in April of 2004 with Ron Perlman in the title role. It was produced on a $66 million budget and earned $99 million worldwide. Del Toro’s sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, debuted in July of 2008 on a budget of $85 million and earned $160.3 million.
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