With “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” a timeless comic classic returns to the screen a cinematic reboot based on the comic book series by Frank Mignola, which aims to bring the demon Anung Un Rama back into fashion with a contemporary adaptation, following the previous adaptations of the first two Hellboys by Guillermo Del Toro and the third “Hellboy” directed by Neil Marshall.
The remake aims to iron out the mixed reactions to the previous titles and, in particular, to make people forget the commercial disaster of the 2019 film, which was marred by a series of production problems and complaints from those who would have preferred to see Del Toro’s trilogy completed. In this regard, Nu Image has once again bet on the franchise, this time relying on the active contribution of Mignola.
From this partnership arose the desire to create the best possible adaptation of “The Crooked Man”, an evocative story that combines Lovecraftian allusions with the theme of witchcraft and shows one of the most controversial sides of American culture. The project has been entrusted to the skill of director Brian Taylor, also known for the excellent television series “Happy!”, who will maintain absolute rigor and fidelity to the reference work in its characteristic mix of action, violence and thoughtful depth.
As the director himself explained in an interview: “The film will stay very faithful to the comic book story and bring a younger version of Hellboy to the screen who wants to explore the dark corners of the world. A kind of night detective of the paranormal, something we have never seen before.”
In the role of star Jack Kesy, who recently appeared in David Fincher’s “The Killer”, Hellboy finds himself stranded deep in the Appalachian Mountains after returning from a previous mission. Accompanied by a new BPRD agent, the demon discovers that the area is controlled by a group of witches in the service of the Crooked Man, a disturbing figure who seems somehow connected to his past. After celebrating the end of filming last May, which Mignola promptly celebrated with a message on his Instagram profile, Hellboy: The Crooked Man was once again the focus of the director’s thoughts with an interview he gave to GamesRadar+ during San Diego Comic-Con.
According to leaks, the film will have a darker tone than previous releases and will have a more horror-oriented setting, with explicit references to the master of horror Stephen King. : “It’s a horror story, it’s a horror film, it’s very simple. I approached it as if it were an adaptation. I’m adapting the story like a Stephen King story, it’s all in the writing. I’m going to do it with as much love and care as possible. I think fans of the original comic will love it. I already know there are people online who have seen the teasers and stuff like that and say: this is the comic, this is what we want.”
Another aspect in which the director has invested heart and soul is the clear separation of the course of the new film from that of previous films, pursuing a completely different stylistic and content approach. : “I knew we weren’t going to make any references to the other films, they’re something in their own right. They’re fantastic, but this isn’t a space opera, is it? It’s a folklore story, it’s self-contained. I think it’s an attempt to make things a little simpler. I feel like films have become very, very complicated. And we’re talking about that, I mean, films are two or three hours long now and for an hour people are explaining things and I still don’t understand them. That tires me out. I think a good traditional horror story is a simple thing and that’s how we approached it and thought about it.”
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