Ladies and gentleman, we have our new Hellboy. Millennium Media has announced that Jack Kesy (Deadpool 2, 12 Strong) has been cast as the lead character in the recently announced Hellboy: The Crooked Man. Kesy will be the third actor to bring the Dark Horse Comics character to life in live-action. Ron Perlman did so in 2004 in Guillermo del Toro’s films, with Stranger Things star David Harbour taking over for the disastrous 2019 reboot. Now, Kesy gets to try his hand at reviving the franchise.
As was previously reported, Brian Taylor (Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) is in the director’s chair for this latest reboot. Rather importantly, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has actually penned the screenplay for this one, with author Chris Golden. Production is expected to begin on the film very soon. Co-President of Millennium Media Jonathan Yunger had this to say.
“Jack Kesy is a dynamic actor who has the ability to morph into his roles. His talent and stature are perfect for this younger Hellboy. I was very impressed with him while working together on The Outpost.”
Kesy originally had a larger role in Deadpool 2 as Black Tom, though his role was significantly diminished in the theatrical cut. Some of his other credits include Baywatch, Death Wish, and Dark Web: Cicada 3301. This figures to be by far his biggest role to date though. The latest film will be based on The Crooked Man storyline from the comics, which was originally published in 2008. It will be R-rated and will lean more into the horror from the source material.
Here is the synopsis for Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
“Stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia, Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man.”
The three previous Hellboy movies have grossed a little more than $314 million collectively at the global box office. The films have never done particularly well commercially, with Hellboy II: The Golden Army being the standout, with $160 million against an $82.5 million budget. 2019’s reboot, also produced by Millennium and released by Lionsgate, was an utter disaster. Against a budget of $50 million, it earned just less than $54 million globally, all against scathing reviews. Perhaps the third time’s the charm.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man does not yet have a release date set.
What do you think? Do you dig the casting? Or would you have preferred a bigger star? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
