Hellboy reboot to be “darker, more gruesome” and R-rated

A Hellboy reboot is on the way, we know that much, but what else has been revealed about the reboot, tentatively titled Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen? For one thing, it’s following in the comic book footsteps of Deadpool and Logan by shooting for an R-rating. It also sounds like the movie is going for a much darker tone than the Perlman/GDT entries.

Speaking to Silver Screen Beat, writer Andrew Cosby gave up some details on what can be expected from the reboot starring everyone’s favourite chain-smoking demon. “I can’t really talk about specifics with regard to the story, which they’re keeping a pretty tight lid on at the moment, but I can say that this is a darker, more gruesome version of Hellboy,” Cosby said.

Cosby stated, “Neil [Marshall] said from the very beginning that he wanted to walk a razor’s edge between horror and comic book movie, which was music to my ears, because that’s what I was shooting for in the script, and precisely what [Mike] Mignola does so well with the comics.”

So – a horror Hellboy. It’ll definitely feel like a reboot rather than a continuation of the old Hellboy movies, but is it a step too far for some fans? Let us know in the comments!

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.