Hellboy Reboot Aiming To Avoid CGI As Much As Possible
Where there was once CGI, there will now be blood.
If you're a Hellboy fan, now is a good time to be alive. Despite the death of the long-mooted Hellboy 3 that could have been directed by Guillermo Del Toro and starred Ron Perlman, the franchise lives on thanks to the forthcoming reboot starring David Harbour.
So far, it's looking promising. It's going to have a more focused horror slant, it's got a great lead actor and director Neil Marshall is pretty well suited to the material. And luckily, he has no intention of wasting a load of money on flashy, distracting CGI that probably isn't necessary in a character focused R-rated piece.
Marshall has spoken (on Mick Garris’ Post Mortem podcast) about his approach to the film, revealing he has more freedom to bring the source material to life as it was always intended - as a bloodier, horror-led property.
"We’ve been granted permission to do it R-rated, which for me is just like taking the cuffs off. It’s like, okay, so now we can just make the movie we want to make. It’s not like I’m going to force it to be R-rated, but if it happens to come out that way, just because of my own sensibilities, then fine. And nobody’s going to stop us. So, that’s the main [difference]. And I’m sure, obviously, the success of things like Deadpool and Logan have not hurt that cause. But, also, when you go back the original material, it is kind of bloody, so I’m going to embrace that.”
Marshall also revealed he wants to focus on practical effects to bring Red to the big screen again:
“It’s definitely going to be as practical as we can possibly make it. I love to do stuff in camera whenever I possibly can, and use CG as the amazing tool that it is, to enhance or expand upon the world, but not to use it to replace reality, when you can do it [for] real.”
At this stage, anything that differentiates the film from Del Toro's work is a good thing. Those films have their cult following (even though they made little money at the box office), and the suggestion that Marshall is seeking his own distinct take on the character should fill even the most cynical of fans with confidence.