You Can Help Ron Perlman Campaign For Hellboy 3

Hellboy had some great moments, but fell short of its potential thanks to some studio mandated changes in the script. Hellboy 2, on the other hand, was a solid outing that had a lot to say. Despite Guillermo del Toro’s talent crafting strange worlds and even stranger characters, the movies never quite caught on. However, it seems everyone involved in their creation is still extremely passionate about another.

So, how is Ron Perlman campaigning?

Perlman has taken to twitter, tweeting interest in a third film and retweeting those who agree, including co-stars Doug Jones and Selma Blair.

Why can’t they get Hellboy 3 made?

The simple fact of the matter is there’s no interest from the studios in financing another Hellboy film. The first film grossed $99 million on a budget of $66 million. The second film faired a bit better, grossing $160 million against its $85 million dollar budget.

That may seem pretty good (especially for Hellboy 2), as looking at the numbers it seems like both made more than it took to make them. However, those budget numbers don’t include marketing… which can be very expensive. In order to justify a sequel without any red tape, a movie typically needs to earn two and a half times its budget, which both films failed to do. In a film climate where studios are looking for that billion dollar earner, a Hellboy 3 just doesn’t seem as appealing… which is quite the shame.

What would Hellboy 3 even be about?

Guillermo del Toro has gone on record saying he wants to bring the Nazi’s back in (seriously, who makes a better villain?), not to mention they have to confront with Hellboy’s apocalyptic destiny that was touched on with in the first film and further foreshadowed in the second. Right after the release of the second film, del Toro had this to say on where he’d take the third film:

“The idea for it was to have Hellboy finally come to terms with the fact that his destiny, his inevitable destiny, is to become the beast of the Apocalypse, and having him and Liz face that sort of, that part of his nature, and he has to do it, in order to be able to ironically vanquish the foe that he has to face in the 3rd film. He has to become the beast of the Apocalypse to be able to defend humanity, but at the same time he becomes a much darker being. It’s a very interesting ending to the series, but I don’t think it will happen.”

Hopefully a miracle will happen. Everyone involved is very talented and it would be great to see them get the work… not to mention us getting a (hopefully) great movie.

Bummer. So… what are the chances of seeing Hellboy 3?

Well, it’s not impossible to be sure. However, it’s very unlikely given the tightened wallets of Hollywood studios in this day and age. Still, the internet is a powerful tool, so perhaps if they drum up enough of a movement some interest may materialize. So, take to twitter, Hellboy fans! Raise a storm and see what happens.