2019 was the last time fans got to see the over-sized red devil on the big screen, and unfortunately, it didn't garner quite the reaction the cast and crew were hoping for. Fans thought they might not see the character on the silver screen again. Luckily, Brian Taylor and his crew are working hard with Hellboy: The Crooked Man in post-production, gradually moving closer to a 2024 release date. Fans thought they had a good thing with Guillermo Del Toro and Ron Perlman's Hellboy line of movies.
Unfortunately, Guillermo Del Toro's hectic schedule prevented him from following up Hellboy II: The Golden Army with a third installment, so the studio decided to pass the reins over to a new cast and crew and reboot the franchise. Despite fans and critics praising David Harbour in the titular role, the film didn't receive the box office numbers the studio hoped for, squashing any hopes of a sequel. Now, with a wholly new creative team, Millenium Media hopes to launch an overwhelmingly successful movie with Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
What's Hellboy: The Crooked Man About?
The official synopsis for the Hellboy: The Crooked Man film is as follows:
It follows Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent as they get stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia. They discover a small community haunted by witches, led by the Crooked Man.
Right off the bat, it's obvious the team behind the film strives for accuracy in the source material as the original short story of The Crooked Man takes place in 1958 Appalachia, specifically an area called The Hurricane. Witchcraft and devilry take a front seat throughout the story of The Crooked Man, with the titular villain being a kind of "devil" himself who runs a coven of witches. Word is that this new installment into the franchise will highlight the horror elements of Hellboy as opposed to the big, comical, blockbuster approach the other entries took, giving cinema fans a different look at Big Red.
In the comic, Hellboy works with Tom Ferrell, a native to the region, to get the corpse of Tom's father to a church in the area dominated by the Crooked Man and his coven of witches. The film might stray a bit and have Tom Ferrell be the rookie BPRD agent the synopsis mentions. Along the way, they realize time doesn't work the same as it does in the rest of the world as "The Hurricane" runs on "the devil's time," and they resist temptation from the Crooked Man and his witches. Tom happens to have some magic in him with the use of a "witch-bone" that he claims kept him safe through all his journeys.
Who is in the Cast of Hellboy: The Crooked Man?
Compared to the other Hellboy movies, the cast for The Crooked Man is small. There aren't a dozen BPRD agents for the audience to keep track of. The director and casting director decided to go with relatively unknown actors this time around as opposed to big Hollywood names like Ron Perlman and David Harbour. In the lead titular hero role is Jack Kesy, who is no stranger to horror as he played Gabriel Bolivar in the FX series The Strain, but, more importantly, he has experience in the action genre with prominent roles in 12 Strong, Deadpool 2, and Without Remorse. This makes the third actor to play Hellboy.
Playing Tom Ferrell falls to Jefferson White, who many will remember as Jimmy Hurdstrom from Yellowstone. With Adeline Rudolph and Leah McNamara also joining the cast as some of the aforementioned witches, the film has gathered a dynamic team of actors capable of bringing their roles to life and giving fans a unique Hellboy experience. There's no word on the actor playing the Crooked Man himself yet.
Is Hellboy: The Crooked Man a Reboot?
Unfortunately, the Hellboy franchise hasn't been as successful in the cinema department as the comic books. Kesy will be the third actor to take on the titular role, and this will be the third attempt at starting a successful line of movies. However, the director, Brian Taylor, chose a smaller story to adapt, which is good because it will feel more intimate than the previous films.
It doesn't follow Hellboy trying to stop the apocalypse or save the world. As Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, told Variety:
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.
Fans will recognize the director from notable works such as Crank and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. He's a self-proclaimed Hellboy super-fan. Along with Mike Mignola being heavily involved with the script, The Crooked Man is looking to be the most faithful Hellboy adaptation fans have seen. If this film succeeds, the production company Millenium Media will be able to create a new slate of Hellboy films because there's definitely an audience out there for the IP.
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