Good news for Neil Marshall’s Hellboy reboot: the most excellent Ian McShane has signed on to star.
THR reports that the star of American Gods, John Wick and Deadwood has been cast as Professor Broom in this new take on Mike Mignola’s hellacious evil-fighter.
He joins Stranger Things‘ David Harbour, who’ll be donning the red face-paint and right hand of doom in the title role.
HB’s mentor Professor Broom is the kindly head of the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence), and a father figure for Hellboy. He was played the late, great John Hurt in the Guillermo del Toro films, and it’s wonderful that the role has been given to one of Hurt’s friends and frequent collaborators.
We still don’t know too much about Marshall’s film, except that “it sees the hero squaring off against a medieval sorceress who seeks to destroy humankind.” There’s been discussion about how the movie will be more horror-oriented than del Toro’s fantastical take on the comics, and how it will use practical effects where possible. We also know that there’s a very good chance that it will be R-rated, which the director is clearly excited about.
Speaking to Mick Garris on the filmmaker’s excellent Post Mortem podcast, Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers, Doomsday) said that “We’ve been granted permission to do it R-rated, which for me is just like taking the cuffs off. It’s like, okay, so now we can just make the movie we want to make. It’s not like I’m going to force it to be R-rated, but if it happens to come out that way, just because of my own sensibilities, then fine. And nobody’s going to stop us. So, that’s the main [difference]. And I’m sure, obviously, the success of things like Deadpool and Logan have not hurt that cause. But, also, when you go back the original material, it is kind of bloody, so I’m going to embrace that.”
Hellboy: Rise Of The Blood Queen will shoot in September in the UK and Bulgaria.
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