A timeless comic book classic is about to return to the big screen with “Hellboy: The Crooked Man” , a cinematic reboot based on Mike Mignola’s comic book series designed to bring the demon Anung Un Rama back into fashion with an adaptation in step with the times, following the previous adaptations of the first two Hellboys by Guillermo Del Toro and the third “Hellboy” directed by Neil Marshall.

The remake will try to patch up the mixed response to the previous titles, in particular to forget the commercial disaster of the film released in 2019, burdened by a series of production problems and complaints from those who would have preferred to see Del Toro's trilogy completed. In this direction, Nu Image has bet again on the franchise, this time relying on the active contribution of Mignola.

From this partnership was born the desire to make the best possible transposition of “The Crooked Man”, a story full of atmosphere that combines Lovecraftian suggestions with the theme of witchcraft and shows one of the most controversial sides of American culture. Entrusted to the skills of director Brian Taylor, also remembered for the excellent television series “Happy!”, the project will maintain the most absolute rigor and adherence to the reference work, in its characteristic mix of action, violence and reflective depth.

As stated by the director himself in an interview: «It will be very faithful to that comic book story and will bring to the screen a younger version of Hellboy intent on navigating the dark corners of the world. A sort of night detective of the paranormal, something that until now we have never seen».

Taking on the guise 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. In the company of a rookie BPRD agent, the demon discovers that the area is controlled by a group of witches in the service of the Crooked Man, a disturbing character who seems to be 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 at the center of the director’s reflections with an interview given to GamesRadar+ during San Diego Comic-Con.

According to leaks, the film will have a darker tone than previous releases and a more horror-oriented setting, with explicit references to the master of horror Stephen King : "It's a horror story, it's a horror movie, it's very simple. I approached it as if it were an adaptation. I'm adapting the story like I would a Stephen King story, it's all there in the texts. I'm going to execute it with as much love and care as possible. I think fans of the original comic are going to love it. I already know that there are people online who have seen the teasers and things like that and are like: this is the comic, this is what we want."

Another aspect in which the director has invested body and soul is the clear separation between the course of the new film and that of past appointments, embracing a completely different stylistic and content approach : «I knew we wouldn't make any reference to the other films, they are a thing in themselves. They are fantastic, but this is not a space opera, right? It's a folklore story, it's contained. It's an attempt to make things a little simpler, I think. I feel like films have become very, very complicated. And we're talking about this, I mean, films today last two or three hours and an hour of people explaining things and I still don't understand it. It tires me. I think a good traditional horror story is a simple thing, and that's how we approached it and thought about it».

© Riproduzione riservata