For many years, there have been circulating rumors regarding a potential return of Hellboy. We take a look at the latest updates from the cast and crew and discuss whether we will ever get a third Hellboy with Ron Perlman?
What should I know about Hellboy and a potential return?
Introduced by Mike Mignola in 1993, Hellboy is a now-iconic character from comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. Born as a demon summoned by Nazi occultists during World War II - but later becoming a force for good - Hellboy has red skin, horns (which he files down) and a stone right hand. In both comic and in film, he works as a paranormal investigator, battling supernatural threats while wrestling with his own internal, universe-altering demons (pun intended).
The character has garnered a dedicated fan base since his initial introduction, and Hellboy has led to the creation of multiple comic series, animated movies, and two distinct live-action film franchises. The initial installment of this series, featuring Ron Perlman, led to the release of Hellboy in 2004 and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army in 2008. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, both films were faithful adaptations of Mike Mignola’s vision for the character. They were not only critically acclaimed but also beloved by fans.
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After the launch of Hellboy 2, there were arrangements made for a third movie to finalize the trilogy. However, several factors meant that these plans were disrupted almost from the outset. Del Toro had already indicated that he had responsibilities related to directing The Hobbit trilogy (which he then left due to delays). On top of this, the sizeable budget needed in order to make Hellboy 3 was raised as an obstacle - Del Toro had stated that he would need nearly double the budget of Hellboy 2 to do the finale of the trilogy justice.
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Beyond this, between the release of Hellboy 2 and now, a disastrous attempted re-boot of the film series significantly damaged its reputation and likely caused financiers to balk at ideas for a big-budget Hellboy 3. All of this means that, 20 years on from the first Hellboy, fans have been holding out in vain hope for a trilogy closer. In recent years, actor Ron Perlman has voiced his own opinions about returning to play the iconic character.
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What has Ron Perlman said about returning as Hellboy?
In a red carpet interview with TheHashtag show in February 2025, Perlman made clear that he would definitely be open to returning to play Hellboy - but only under one condition. Perlman’s condition was that Guillermo del Toro would have to return as director. Speaking frankly about the possibility of his return, Perlman said: “I had an opportunity to play the character for other people and I passed. That’s his [del Toro’s] franchise as far as I’m concerned. I’m his boy.”
This has raised fresh speculation about whether Hellboy 3 might just be possible in the near future. However, timing is everything. It’s worth noting that Ron Perlman is currently 75 years of age, and the role of Hellboy is a highly demanding one. If he were to take on the project, things would have to move fast.
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What has Guillermo del Toro said about returning to Hellboy?
Guillermo del Toro has notoriously looked with favour on his time working on Hellboy. As recently as this year, del Toro was still referring to Hellboy as his “spiritual autobiography.” Despite this, the visionary director has been honest about the difficulties that have arisen in terms of bringing at 3rd Hellboy to life. As far back as 2014, he was commenting that it “has proven almost impossible to finance.”
Third Hellboy With Ron Perlman
Three years later, in 2017, he posted an abrupt tweet for fans, stating: “Hellboy 3 Sorry to report: Spoke with all parties. Must report that 100% the sequel will not happen. And that is to be the final thing about it.” As an added complication, del Toro is currently involved in other time-demanding projects. His version of Frankenstein is in the post-production stage and will be released in November 2025.
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On top of this, del Toro has spoken in recent years about his frustration with studios holding up his projects, and he even suggested in 2023 that he planned to leave live-action filmmaking altogether and focus solely on animation. And while filmmakers of del Toro’s stature have been known to change their minds (or have been wooed to change them based on the right circumstances), it has made people pessimistic about whether we’ll ever get a Hellboy 3 in the coming years.
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What have others said about the possible return of Hellboy?
Mike Mignola, who created Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics back in 1993, has frequently spoken publicly about the films. He worked with del Toro on the concept of the original 2004 film, and he has stated that he was “very happy” with the way del Toro’s Hellboy films turned out. When asked about del Toro’s return to finish the trilogy back in summer 2024, Mignola told Forbes that he wasn’t envisioning a scenario where the director came back into the fold (which would of course pour cold water on the idea of Ron Perlman coming back).
Mignola said, “I just can’t see him coming back to doing Hellboy again.” He added: “It was kind of a dream thing, but I don’t think it was ever realistic.”
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What implications could this have for the future of the Hellboy franchise?
Hellboy has always had a devoted following, dating back to the first appearance of the character in 1993, and expanding after the release of the film in 2004. This has meant that speculations about its future have been alive pretty much since the moment fans walked out of the cinema in 2004.
Third Hellboy With Ron Perlman
But the film series hasn’t always had the easiest ride, and several speed bumps along the way have clearly damaged its future prospects. The 2019 reboot - and its sequel - were unmitigated failures. And not only was this bad news for the film series’ financial prospects as a whole, it also meant that every future project not involving del Toro and Perlman would be picked apart by fans and potential investors.
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For many, Ron Perlman and Guillermo del Toro are now synonymous with Hellboy - and the fact that neither is currently talking about the project at the moment spells bad news for a third film…
