Ron Perlman, Legend, Still Wants To Make Hellboy 3
There are always a few movies that inevitably get left out of the mainstream "Best superhero movies ever" conversation, merely because they existed before the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever arrived on the scene. M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" still holds up as one of the best depictions of a "realistic" superhero — it's as ahead of its time as movies can get. The other major example of this phenomenon would be Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy" duology, which would've rounded out its story with a crowd-pleasing third film if only we lived in an ideal world. Thankfully, the trilogy that wasn't to be still inspires fierce devotion and passion among its fans, which has helped the two movies grow from cult classics to something more closely resembling classics in their own right (though we still have some more work to do in that department to make it officially official, I think).
Though Hellboy himself, actor Ron Perlman, gave his blessing for the reboot, the disappointing film only led to even more cries to give del Toro another shot at a trilogy-capping "Hellboy" movie. As a matter of fact, fans aren't the only ones still holding out hope for a third movie, even all these years later. The always-outspoken star did his usual thing in a recent interview with Independent, commenting on everything and anything from his withering disdain for former President Donald Trump to the scourge of anti-vaxxers to, most amusingly, some choice quotes aimed at those who didn't particularly care for the Adam McKay film that Perlman appeared in, "Don't Look Up."
In the midst of all this, talk turned towards his lead performances in "Hellboy" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." Though readers will have to parse through some of his mixed feelings about starring as the fan-favorite demon once more, we can safely consider Perlman to be vocally pro-"Hellboy 3."
"We Owe This to the Fans"
Ron Perlman most recently appeared in a small but integral supporting role in Guillermo del Toro's "Nightmare Alley" (which he mentions in the interview that he joined without even reading the script, breaking his own number one rule in the process), reminding viewers of his longtime friendship and collaboration with the filmmaker over the years. Naturally, a small part of me couldn't help but think of the "Hellboy" movies while watching del Toro's latest film and wistfully daydream about all the could-have-been's, had a third "Hellboy" movie become a reality. So who better to ask about this than Perlman himself? Well, only if we ignore that pesky little detail concerning his age, of course. As he bluntly (and hilariously) puts it, "Am I eager to do 'Hellboy 3?' No, I'm 71 f***ing years old."
But that's not to say that he doesn't support the cause, anyway. Perlman goes on to wax poetic about the duology's unfinished business and the countless fans who would be eager to receive a continuation, even throwing in a personal plea to del Toro himself in the process:
"We owe this to the fans and we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion. So Guillermo, if you're reading, I'm not done pounding you to get this f**king thing done."
Because I'm a professional, I'm going to refrain from pointing out how Perlman's chosen turn of phrase could read as a double entendre among the immature and childish among us, but you simply have to love his willingness to be outspoken about this. It's unlikely Perlman will be able to reverse course on a franchise that was deemed dead only a few short years ago, but "fan" is short for "fanatic" for a reason! I'm perfectly okay with going on and believing that somehow, someway, the stars might align and we might get that "Hellboy 3" one day. Stranger things have happened, after all. Until then, feel free to read through all of Ron Perlman's colorful comments in the full interview.