One of the big questions hanging over the upcoming Hellboy reboot is just how director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent) would differentiate his Hellboy from Guillermo del Toro’s. Now that the first images of David Harbour (Stranger Things, Green Hornet) in costume have been released we know the answer to that question.
Not much.
Holy crap #Hellboy #FirstLook pic.twitter.com/dpryXiHDHE
— Hellboy (@HellboyMovie) September 13, 2017
Of course the reason Harbour’s Hellboy looks so much like Ron Perlman’s is that both look pretty much exactly like Mike Mignola’s art. There are subtle differences. Perman had those weird spiral patterns that looked like they were carved into his skin. Harbour is covered in scars. Then there’s the Right Hand of Doom, which looks much less… is organic the right word for a giant stone fist?
The thing is those changes, small as they may be, point to the different direction Marshall is taking this film. Guillermo del Toro gave his Hellboy stylized muscles and a flat skin tone, making him look almost like a living cartoon. Neil Marshall’s take is more realistic and lends itself to his darker, R-rated adaptation.
