The Unfinished Journey of Hellboy: Ron Perlman's Insights on the Missing Third Movie
Ron Perlman, known for his role as Hellboy in the movies directed by Guillermo del Toro, shared insights on why a third Hellboy movie never materialized. Despite the success of the first two films, a new reboot starring David Harbour was released in 2019, followed by another reboot titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man in 2024.
During an appearance on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Perlman revealed that Hellboy 3 was never close to happening as "people moved on," including some of the creatives involved in the project. Perlman expressed his desire to complete the trilogy, stating that they owed it to the fans and that he would still be willing to do it even at 75 years old if the opportunity arose.
Perlman mentioned that the third movie was meant to resolve the storyline set up in the previous films, with Hellboy facing his ultimate destiny. While Perlman was unsure if a screenplay was developed, he confirmed that del Toro had a vision for how the final movie would unfold, describing it as "epic" and expressing regret that it never came to fruition.
Despite not achieving the same level of financial success as Marvel movies, Perlman acknowledged that the Hellboy films had a dedicated fan base and were well-received within the superhero genre. The actor emphasized the significance of completing the trilogy and the missed opportunity to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion.