After finding its lead in Deadpool 2 star Jack Kesy, Hellboy: The Crooked Man has added Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph to its cast, Deadline has revealed. White will portray Tom Ferrell and Rudolph is set to play Bobbie Jo Song, completing the trio of lead characters. Brian Taylor will direct the feature from a script by Hellboy comic book creator Mike Mignola and scribe Chris Golden.
Set in the 1950s, the movie will follow Hellboy stranded in rural Appalachia with a rookie BPRD agent. It’s there they’ll discover a small community haunted by witches that is led by a local devil with a connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man. Brian previously told Collider that the feature is going to be rated R, so expect the movie to break stereotypes as it goes back to its folk horror roots and sticks close to its source material.
As for his inspiration, the director cited some of Mignola’s comics that “had a very different feeling. More lean and mean, creepy folk horror. A younger Hellboy, wandering the dark corners of the world... Paranormal investigator, night stalker... The Crooked Man in particular is just such an iconic book.” The director revealed it’s his favorite version of the character. “So the appeal of this one to me, is to go back to that and do a real reset, and really give us that version of Hellboy, which I just don't think we've seen yet."
Where Have We Seen the Cast Before?
White is perhaps best known for his roles in the Paramount hit Yellowstone as Jimmy Hurdstrom and Sean O’Neil on Chicago P.D. His recent credits include features like William Oldroyd’s psychological thriller Eileen, and Julian Higgins’ God’s Country starring opposite Thandiwe Newton. He’ll be next seen in A24’s Civil War. Rudolph is well known for her roles in Netflix’s Resident Evil starring alongside Ella Balinska. She was also a staple in teen dramas like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The CW’s Riverdale. She will be next seen in Lionsgate’s Creepers, which marks the feature directorial debut of Marc Klasfeld.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man is produced by Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, and Millennium Media’s Yunger, Jeffrey Greenstein, Les Weldon, Rob Van Norden, and Yariv Lerner. While Mignola, Millennium Media’s Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, Tanner Mobley, Campbell Grobman Films’ Lati Grobman and Christa Campbell, along with Telepool’s Michael Muellner and Julia Muentefering will executive-produce.
The feature will begin filming in Bulgaria and Greece in April. Watch this space for further developments.