David Harbour Talks ‘Hellboy’, Being Warned to “Step Away” from Reboot

Stranger Things fan favorite (and Twitter darling) David Harbour knows his Hellboy film comes in with a strike against it already. Namely, fans of the Guillermo del Toro directed Ron Perlman starring pair of movies being up in arms about a new Big Red/story rather than finishing out a trilogy.

“I was approached by some very prominent nerds who I know very well, and I respect their opinions because they’re friends of mine, who were like, ‘Dude, step away from the Hellboy. Step away,’ ” Harbour said.

As he’s said pretty much anytime he’s been asked about the differences with his version of the demonic comic character vs Perlman’s, David has been quick to say his is ‘unique’. He brought up how there have been notable actor changes that don’t mean one is necessarily better or worse than another.

“I can like Michael Keaton‘s Batman and I can like Christian Bale‘s Batman. I can like Jack Nicholson‘s Joker and I can like Heath Ledger‘s Joker. There’s other Jokers I don’t have to like,” Harbour said. (This probably is the actor taking a potshot at his Suicide Squad co-star Jared Leto, but he could also mean someone else.)

Harbour also knows his source material, being a fan of the Mike Mignola comics long before getting the part:

“They (the comics) seem much more macabre to me, they seem much more melancholy, they seem much more primal, more struggle, more angst. And I felt like those other two movies were funnier and brighter and kind of sillier in a way, which was great for what it was. But, I thought to approach this material in a different light and to do something completely different than what they had done.

This was something that I couldn’t pass up because I love those [Mike] Mignola comics. And the mythos we are in now, I feel like two strains are running. They are making these kind of popcorn-y, somewhat two-dimensional comic book movies and then there is this strain like Logan and Deadpool. That is what I am drawn to in the genre. I would love to do a Hellboy where you love him, but you’re also not quite sure about him.”

The rest of the interview with The Hollywood Reporter and David is a delightful read, fans of Stranger Things and Harbour himself should definitely read it.

Director Neil Marshall does have some pretty perfect titles under his belt to be taking on the character, things like 2 episodes of Constantine, 2 episodes of Black Sails, 2 episodes of Game of Thrones, 1 episode each of Hannibal and Westworld, and the upcoming reboot of Lost In Space.

Hellboy is expected to release on January 11th, 2019.