The buzz surrounding Hellboy: The Crooked Man was initially very negative; however, it feels like the tide has started to change, particularly with it now clear that it's meant as a low-budget horror tale rather than a major superhero blockbuster.
Today, we have some new images of Jack Kesy's Big Red to share with you and it's fair to say the character looks vastly more impressive here than in those early sneak peeks.
Speaking of which, these promo photos seemingly confirm that we're getting a new trailer on August 30. Hellboy: The Crooked Man still doesn't have a confirmed release date but we'd imagine the idea is for it to hit Digital or streaming platforms in time for Halloween.
However, if the budget for this reboot was low enough, there's every chance it will find its way into theaters (its 2019 predecessor grossed $55.1 million worldwide after costing a reported $50 million).
"[My favorite thing was] to see how close it is to the comics," Hellboy creator Mike Mignola said last month. "There are several shots in there that are panels from the comics and your fear is always, especially when you say it's gotta be my favorite story, that it's going to lose something. But all my favorite moments from the comic are in there."
"I mean, you're holding your breath as you're watching this. I actually got to watch, I didn't go on set, but I saw dailies, and you're just going, 'I can't believe this! Oh my God, you got it in there and is it going to stay in there when they cut the movie?' Because there is a particular moment in the church that I loved so much. I thought, 'Are they going to add special effects to that?'"
"It's just a quiet little moment. It could easily get cut, but it stayed all the way through," Mignola continued. "Not that I didn't like the other movies or love bits and pieces from the other movies, but it was just...I was so grateful to see somebody that really did want to put [them in there], because at some point everybody says, 'Oh yeah, we're going to put your comic on screen,' But this is the time that it happened."
Take a closer look at Hellboy below and stay tuned for more on that upcoming trailer drop as we have it.
Stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia, Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent discover a small community haunted by witches, led by the Crooked Man, a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy's past.
Brian Taylor directs Hellboy: The Crooked Man from a script by Mike Mignola and Chris Golden. The cast is led by Jack Kesy as Hellboy, Jefferson White as Tom Ferrell, and Adeline Rudolph playing Bobbie Jo Song. We'll also see Leah McNamara as Effie Kolb, Joseph Marcell as Reverend Watts, Hannah Margetson as Cora Fisher, and Martin Bassindale as the Crooked Man.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is set to be released later this year.