For fans of the Dark Horse Comics complicated Hellboy character, it was both exciting to see he will be returning to the big screen and at the same time, disappointing that Ron Perlman was not again filling that role. However, when the Hellboy reboot, which is directed by Neil Marshall, announced the casting of Stranger Things star David Harbour in the titular role, it appeared to at least for the moment, appease those fans. Recently in an interview with Vanity Fair, Harbour discussed his take on the character and compared the paranormal investigator to his Stanger Things character, chief Jim Hopper, and explained why he thinks Hellboy is “classically complicated.”
“It’s a classically complicated hero. He’s a creature that was meant to bring about the end of the world, and he just sort of wants to be a good guy. He’s got that complexity to him. He’s also a monster who lives among human beings, so he’s in a sense fighting for human beings against his fellow monsters, and yet the humans hate him because they fear him and they think he’s weird looking and everything.”
The Stranger Things star also noted the similarities he sees between Hellboy and Jim Hopper. They are both characters that are attempting to be good people under unusual circumstances:
“Yeah, he’s terrifying! There’s that question of, why am I fighting this battle? Just because of some sense of justice, or some sense of good? It’s a really interesting question that sort of is at the core of him, that he struggles with . . . I know that [writer] [Mike] Mignola and [director] Neil [Marshall] and [producer] Lloyd [Levin] all watched Stranger Things and saw that in what I did there, which is similar. He has a heart that’s really good and with a lot of this crusted-over stuff. What I’m dealing with in Hellboy is a lot different, bigger in a certain way. It’s very Shakespearean. It’s demons and witches and stuff like that. But it has a similar core to a dude who’s trapped in horrible circumstances who’s just trying to be a good guy.”
Are you excited to see David Harbours take on writer/artist Mike Mignola‘s character or are you a fan of Ron Perlman’s version? Share your views with us at GVNation
Hellboy stars David Harbour, Ian McShane as Hellboy’s adoptive father, Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, Penelope Mitchell as Ganeida, Daniel Dae Kim as Major Ben Daimio, Sophie Okonedo as Lady Hatton, Brian Gleeson as Merlin, Alistair Petrie as Lord Adam Glaren, and Milla Jovovich as The Blood Queen.
Hellboy is scheduled to be released in theaters on January 11, 2019.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
