Hellboy 3?

Submitted by: Kyle Nin (SoSF Staff Reporter)

Before Hellboy 2 has even gotten heavy into production word about town is that director Guillermo del Toro may be gearing up for Hellboy 3.

“We are in preproduction,” del Toro told IGN in an exclusive interview, which many observers had come to believe would never get a greenlight. “Both with Hellboy 1 and Hellboy 2, they happened right at the moment when we said, ‘They’re not happening. It looks like we better move on.’ And at that moment something happened that made them go ahead. We have Francisco Ruiz Velasco, Wayne Barlowe, TyRuben Ellingson, [and] Mike Mignola designing creatures right now, and we have the movie being budgeted in London and in Budapest. We hope to start shooting next year.”

“Universal came to us,” the director recalls. “When they read the script and heard the number [$70 million], they were interested. Because people saw that we gave a lot of value for the $66 million of Hellboy. We essentially had an O.K. theatrical run, nothing spectacular, but we did incredibly well on DVD, so the movie made its money and some. We did very good in ancillary markets. We did very good in replay on cable and so forth, and toys and this and that. And I think that Universal is interested in the fact that now they can have a franchise that they enjoy for a price they will never feel guilty about.”

Is del Toro then indicating that a Hellboy 3 is doable? The director says he has an idea of where he would take a third film in the series. “I’ve talked to [Hellboy creator Mike] Mignola about the third one. He seemed to like [my idea], and that is that the way the love story would pay off in the third movie would be completely unexpected,” said del Toro. “I knew what I wanted to do on the first one, but I had no idea if we ever would get to do a second one. And now that we are I really am laying down the breadcrumbs that will lead you to a very, very — hopefully — powerful denouement of that loving couple.”

“The second one is self-contained and if we never get to do the third one there’s only one element that people will have hanging where they will go, ‘Oh Jesus, I wish they had done a third one.’ But if not, it’s fine,” says del Toro, before adding, “If anyone listening has $80 million, we can assure you we can do a third one.” Wink, wink - nod, nod!

Coming back for “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” are Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Doug Jones.