Hellboy: The Crooked Man — Cast, Plot, Director And More Info
For a comic book movie franchise that has never reached the heights of most Marvel or DC films of the last two decades, "Hellboy" has remained shockingly resilient. To that end, Mike Mignola's beloved character is set for yet another big-screen reboot in the form of "Hellboy: The Crooked Man." This time around, the character will be headed back to the 1950s for a folk horror adventure based on one the most celebrated storylines from the comics.
This will be the character's first film since 2019's "Hellboy." Starring David Harbour, it proved to be a critical and commercial disaster. Be that as it may, Millennium Media is set to try to bring the character to life once again with a lower-budget take on the material. So, when will you be able to see the movie? Who is playing Hellboy? Who is directing this time around? We've got all of the information you need to get ready for when the reboot arrives. Let's dig in.
When does Hellboy: The Crooked Man premiere?
"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" does not currently have a release date, but since filming is already finished and Ketchup Entertainment has nabbed distribution rights, it is expected to arrive in early 2024.
What are the plot details of Hellboy: The Crooked Man?
"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" takes its name from the Dark Horse Comics arc of the same name. The story was originally published in 2011. The logline for the film reads as follows:
The new film will see Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia. There, they discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy's past: the Crooked Man.
That sounds very similar to the comic, which took place in 1956 and also is largely set in the Appalachian mountains.
Who is the cast of Hellboy: The Crooked Man?
Jack Kesy ("Deadpool 2," "12 Strong") leads the cast of the reboot as our new Hellboy. Kesy has not truly had the opportunity to lead a big film like this in his career up to this point, having largely taken smaller parts in bigger movies, or bigger roles in smaller movies. The fact that the producers didn't cast an A-list actor is in some ways telling. All due respect, but casting an actor like Kesy in the lead is a cheaper way to go as someone like David Harbour commands a bigger salary.
Similarly, the rest of the cast has been filled out with up-and-comers as well as sturdy character actors. The ensemble also includes Jefferson White ("Yellowstone, "Chicago P.D."), Adeline Rudolph ("Resident Evil," "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"), Joseph Marcell ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "The Exorcism of God"), Leah McNamara ("Vikings," "Dublin Murders"), Hannah Margetson ("Min Kamp"), and Martin Bassindale ("On Chesil Beach," "Becoming Elizabeth").
Who is the director of Hellboy: The Crooked Man?
Brian Taylor is in the director's chair for "Hellboy: The Crooked Man." Taylor is a relatively well-known director dating back to his feature directorial debut, which was the Jason Statham action movie, "Crank." Taylor also returned to helm the even crazier sequel, "Crank: High Voltage." Some of the filmmaker's other credits include the Nicolas Cage thriller "Mom and Dad," the Gerard Butler action movie "Gamer," and the TV show "Happy!" This "Hellboy" feature also won't be the first time that Taylor has directed a big comic book film, as he also helmed 2011's "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance."
Taylor is certainly experienced with mid-budget action films and even blockbusters, which makes him capable of tackling something of this size. The concern that certain fans might have is the fact that Taylor has been associated with several maligned comic book films. Aside from "Spirit of Vengeance," Taylor is also one of the credited screenwriters on 2010's "Jonah Hex." It wouldn't be fair to hold that movie against him, however, as there were many cooks in that kitchen and the film had a very troubled production, with extensive reshoots ordered. There is no indication that "The Crooked Man" suffered any major issues during filming.
Who are the writers and producers of Hellboy: The Crooked Man?
Mike Mignola, who created the character in the pages of Dark Horse Comics, is co-writing the screenplay for the film alongside Chris Golden, who has collaborated with him on the comics in the past. Millennium Media is behind the production, with Ketchup Entertainment handling distribution.
Mike Richardson, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Les Weldon, Rob Van Norden, and Yariv Lerner are on board as producers. Mignola, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Tanner Mobley, Michael Müllner, Julia Müntefering, Lati Grobman, Christa Campbell, Gareth West, Artur Galstian, and Vahan Yepremyan serve as executive producers. Speaking to Deadline when the deal with Ketchup Entertainment was announced, Millennium Media's President Jeffrey Greenstein had this to say about it:
"The Crooked Man is a departure from all previous Hellboy films where Mike Mignola and the creator of the comics will finally shepherd an authentic version of his stories and characters in film form. This is the first in the series of films that will captivate audiences in familiar (and new) ways."
It sounds very much like the company plans to turn this into a series of films, assuming the first one is successful enough to warrant a continuation.
Has Hellboy: The Crooked Man released a trailer?
As of this writing, there is no trailer for the film but we should expect one to arrive online in the coming months. Stay tuned.
What is Hellboy: The Crooked Man rated?
Much like the 2019 film that was released by Lionsgate, "Hellboy: The Crooked Man" will be rated R. Brian Taylor spoke with Collider about the project shortly after it was announced and explained that he pitched it as an R-rated folk horror movie, which the studio went for:
"I pitched an R-rated folk horror movie and the team here at Millennium have been nothing but supportive. It's a great group of people, and they love horror ... We've definitely had a discussion of, you know, it doesn't really serve anybody to make something R for R's sake. To say it has to be R so we have to add A, B and C. But this material, this original material is dark and scary and violent and adult. So in order to really embrace that, we just don't wanna have any handcuffs on."