The last good film in a fantasy series that is about to get its second reboot in five years

The last good film in a fantasy series that is

There are few franchises more chaotic than Hellboy. The fantasy series based on the comics by Mike Mignola has many fans, but the last good film is now 15 years old. bad luck or inability? The latter is more likely to apply to Hellboy. After all, Hellboy II – The Golden Army is on TV today – because after this part it only went downhill.

In the following article we explain why The Golden Army is worthwhile, what recently went wrong in the Hellboy franchise and how it will continue.

On TV today: That’s what Hellboy 2 is about

2008’s Hellboy 2 is about the anti-hero played by Ron Perlman again. During World War II, as we learn in Part 1, the Nazis opened a portal to hell. It is closed, but the little hell boy stays behind and is henceforth raised by his foster father Professor ‘Broom’ Bruttenholm (John Hurt). Together with Liz (Selma Blair) and the seaman Abe Sapiens (Doug Jones), he works for the American agency for the investigation and prevention of paranormal phenomena.

There are new enemies in the sequel: the eternal truce between our world and the invisible realms of the underworld has come to an end. The sleeping golden army was brought back to life by a cruel ruler of darkness, Prince Nuada.

Hellboy 2 – Trailer (German)

What makes Hellboy 2 so good?

Hellboy creator Guillermo del Toro is probably the most influential fantasy director of our time. His flair for practical effects, quirky characters and a deep, winding world flowed into the gloomy first part (2004). Moviepilot editor Matthias Hopf writes about part 2:

The second part connects wonderfully to what was worked out in the first – and invests even more in the fantasy elements. This clearly sets Hellboy 2 – The Golden Army apart from current comic book adaptations, which tend to assert themselves with their focus on science fiction and action. Why was the series never directly continued?

Guillermo del Toro planned a trilogy for the evil hero and his eccentric team:

[…] I would love to end this incarnation of Hellboy on a bittersweet note. We have ideas that are heartbreaking. The third would be the end of it all, grand, operatic and quite tragic.

However, the studios behind the production were unwilling to finance the risky project. Because Hellboy 2, although celebrated by fans and critics, was not an economic success. The long-awaited third part simmered year after year in the announcement hell.

Over a decade after Hellboy II, a new part actually came – but without the regular cast of Selma Blair and Ron Perlman. And not by Guillermo del Toro. There was the beloved world reboot instead, which was pretty much the last thing fans wanted. Of course, Neil Marshall’s Hellboy – Call of Darkness flopped disastrously in 2019. The next restart was needed.

Another reboot: What’s next for Hellboy?

A new Hellboy movie was announced in early 2023. It has nothing to do with the predecessor from 2019. The red anti-hero has a new cast: David Harbor is succeeded by Jack Kesy. And after Guillermo del Toro and Neil Marshall, Brian Taylor takes over the direction.

The new film is called Hellboy: The Crooked Man and implements a quite interesting story. He takes place in the 1950s in the American mountain range Appalachia. Hellboy and a young BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) agent must protect a village haunted by witches. The witches are led by a devil named Crooked Man. It is not yet known when Hellyboy: The Crooked Man will hit the cinemas.

When is Hellboy 2 on TV?

Hellboy II – The golden army is running today at 11.05 p.m. on TV at VOX. A repetition of the fantasy blockbuster is not planned. It is also not available in a flat rate with a major streaming service. So it’s worth turning on.

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