Earlier this week, we learned that a new Hellboy movie is in the works, but the news was bittersweet. While fans of the hell demon / occult detective were understandably thrilled to hear that he'd be making a return to the big screen, fans of Guillermo del Toro's previous adaptations starring Ron Perlman were just as understandably disappointed. Due to a number of factors, del Toro is not involved with this reboot. However, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola himself announced that David Harbour (Stranger Things) is taking on the title role while Neil Marshall (The Descent) is in talks to direct.

The reboot is intended to be an R-rated adaptation if screenwriters Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden and Mignola have their way. In a chat with Cosby, Silverscreen Beat (via CS) managed to get an early idea of what the tone and maturity level of the reboot is intended to be. Millennium Films is currently in negotiations with producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin for the reboot, which has the evocative working title of Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen.

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Image via Dark Horse Comics

Here's what Cosby had to say about the status of the script:

“The script is done, but work will continue as we move forward, always trying to make it the best it can be.”

And now, for the tone of the reboot:

"[This] is a darker, more gruesome version of Hellboy,” Cosby said. “Neil said from the very beginning that he wanted to walk a razor’s edge between horror and comic book movie, which was music to my ears, because that’s what I was shooting for in the script, and precisely what Mignola does so well with the comics.”

Currently, there are no specifics that point to an R-rated adaptation beyond the general "darker, more gruesome" descriptor, but with R-rated successes like Deadpool and Logan still ringing in the ears of studios, producers, and investors, I don't think an R-rated Hellboy will be as tough a sell as it used to be. One person who likely isn't sold on the reboot and its cast/crew is Jeffrey Tambor, who starred in the earlier films as Tom Manning:

[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/jeffreytambor/status/861969698316894209[/EMBED_TWITTER]

Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

For more on Hellboy, get caught up with some of our recent write-ups provided at the links below:

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Image via Universal Pictures
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Image via Universal Pictures

 

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Image via Sony Pictures
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Image via Sony Pictures

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