Selma Blair on Hellboy Reboot: “My Heart Is Broken”

There has been much angst directed towards Hellboy creator Mike Mignola for putting a road block between filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and a third and final installment in the action franchise. Taking the reigns away from the Mexican while Neil Marshall and David Harbour attempt their own version of the superhero, one star of the original films has admitted to a degree of sadness and disappointment.

As Selma Blair was on the promotional trail for her new title Mom and Dad, she told Cinemablend that the emotions were still raw having not been able to reprise her role as Hellboy's offsider Liz Sherman. Despite two pictures in 2004 and 2008 that brought tremendous critical acclaim if not for a modest box office score, Blair longed for the chance to finish what Del Toro had started.

Sad Selma Wanted Hellboy 3 More Than Anything

Hellboy remake Selma Blair

Having seen what Del Toro is capable of away from a franchise arc with The Shape of Water, Blair believes that the following for the filmmaker almost matches a comic book hero in their own right. Not only would she not get a chance to see the project through to the end, but Mignola will be changing tact to a darker tone.

The actress was circumspect while giving a good luck message to Mignola and Harbour as they continue the legacy.

"God, you know, people are fans of Hellboy and also fans of Guillermo," Blair remarked. "So part of us, the ones that were so loyal to Guillermo, our hearts are broken that it didn't work out with the greatest third installment ever written that I wish I could play more than anything in the world. But I truly hope that Mike Mignola has his vision out there for the darker Hellboy come to light, and I'm sure he will, and David Harbour is excellent and everyone involved, but no my heart is broken."

No Child's Play As Dark Adult Hellboy Looms

Hallboy David Harbour

Outside of a few still images lurking on the web, little has been seen or discussed about Harbour's upcoming portrayal. Sitting down with Collider, the actor drew a comparison between the iconic figure and Hopper from Stranger Things, two rogue individuals who are delving between two contrasting environments.

"I love that, as a character, he’s such a complicated guy. In a certain way, he has a bit of the same dynamic as Hopper, where he’s very conflicted about who he is and he’s caught between two worlds. He develops a shtick to live, that could be charming to some and annoying to others."

So what exactly can we expect from his performance as Hellboy that we haven't seen during Ron Perlman's tenure? For Harbour's money, he will take the R-rated action genre and run with it to take cues from Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.

"I would like to add some darkness to the really fun cinema that we have. In that way, that’s what drew me to Hellboy. I really like big swashbuckling superhero films, but I feel like that Marvel universe is not adult enough. Deadpool and Logan tried to take the mythos in that direction, and I wanted to do that with Hellboy. That’s what I like. I like big, fun cinema, and then I like it to have more of an adult twinge to it, which makes simple concepts, of even something like love, much more complicated than perhaps we portray it for children or teenagers."

Source: Cinemablend, Collider

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