Surprisingly announced last February, Hellboy: The Crooked Man managed to fly under the radar for the duration of production, which took place in Bulgaria. Well, now the shooting is over.
This was communicated by the cartoonist Mike Mignola , creator of Hellboy , who wrote the screenplay together with Christopher Golden . In an Instagram post, Mignola praised the adaptation and its faithfulness to the miniseries of the same name:
So, principal photography on the new HELLBOY movie has wrapped.
I wasn’t on set, but they were nice enough to send me dailies, and I have to say I loved what I saw. If fans have been waiting for a Hellboy movie that’s a true adaptation of one of my stories, I think they’ll finally get one.
Congratulations to director Brian Taylor and the wonderful cast – and co-writer Chris Golden, who did so much to figure out how to give the studio what they wanted, while staying true to the heart and soul of THE CROOKED MAN, my favorite among the stories of Hellboy.
I wish Richard Corben [ illustrator of the miniseries from which the film is based, ed] were still here to see him – they did a splendid job of bringing his terrifying character to life.
The film has been defined as “an r-rated folk horror” by director Bryan Taylor , and the goal is to bring the character back to his roots: we’ll see if that’s really the case, but Mignola ‘s appreciation is undoubtedly encouraging.
Jack Kesy ( Deadpool 2, Without Remorse ) is the third actor to play Hellboy in live action, after Ron Perlman and David Harbour . The plot sees the hero stranded in the Appalachian mountains with a recruit of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense : together, the two discover a small community persecuted by witches, led by a local demon – the eponymous Crooked Man – who maintains a bond with Hellboy ‘s Past . We will keep you posted.
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The cast
The cast includes Jack Kesy ( Hellboy ), Jefferson White ( Tom Ferrell ), Adeline Rudolph ( Bobbie Jo Song ) and Leah McNamara ( Effie Kolb ).
Jeffrey Greenstein’s statements
Jeffrey Greenstein , president of Millennium Media , said:
The Crooked Man departs from the previous Hellboy films in that Mike Mignola will finally lead an authentic version of his stories and characters in cinematic form. This will be the first in a series of films that will engage audiences in new and familiar ways. Brian Taylor is an expert in this field, and I could not have thought of a better person to bring this story to life and show audiences a different and original Hellboy movie saga.
Directing
Directed by Bryan Taylor , known for making the Crank diptych with partner Mark Neveldine . It won’t be his first experience with a comic book adaptation, as the pair wrote Jonah Hex and directed Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance .
The screenplay
Creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Golden , who penned three official Hellboy novels and a rewrite of the 2019 film, uncredited.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man
The Crooked Man is a 2011 three-part miniseries: set in 1956, it sees Hellboy meet a man called Tom in the mountains of West Virginia. Tom has sold his soul to a demon known as Crooked Man (“deformed man”, but also “corrupted”), and the hero will embark on a journey with him into the dark heart of Appalachia to see if said soul can be saved .