The reboot of Hellboy, starring David Harbour, has officially been Rated R for extreme violence and gore. And to celebrate, Lionsgate Movies has released the brand new red band trailer for the movie. Teased all day long and officially released on the movie’s Twitter page, the new trailer showcases a brand new Hellboy , completely shattering any opportunities for comparison with its predecessor.
Hellboy was a Dark Horse comic created by Mike Mignola that was adapted by Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro into a feature film starring Ron Perlman in 2004. The film was celebrated and become somewhat of a cult hit with audiences appreciating del Toro’s fantastical world and fabled approach to the character and storytelling. After one sequel, plans for a third were kept alive for many years, until ultimately the team decided to move on. Now the character is being rebooted into a brand new movie starring Stranger Things ‘ David Harbour in the title role.
The new red band trailer features a lot more swearing, ample amounts of violence and bloody gore, but also shows a completely different take on the character and story. Critics will be hard pressed to find many similarities to the original franchise, except maybe the look of the character, which is defined by the graphic novel.
Raise. Some. Hell. Watch the new Red Band #Hellboy trailer now. In theaters and @IMAX April 12. pic.twitter.com/b92JrBtKPq
— Hellboy (@HellboyMovie) March 1, 2019
The new Hellboy shows Harbour as a much more looser and at ease Hellboy, getting the best one-liners in the trailer, and a demeanor that’s more palatable than Perlman’s grumpy depiction of the same character. Directed by Neil Marshall, Hellboy stars David Harbour, Daniel Dae Kim, Milla Jovovich, and Ian McShane. In an interview with Empire , Marshal describes how he approached the subject matter.
“It was always a case of, ‘When in doubt, go back to the source material.’ Some of the stuff is pretty sick. More violent and more bloody. We weren’t making it with handcuffs on.”
The trailer itself depicts a bright and colorful world, despite the dark and gritty story. The rebooted Hellboy reportedly has a much smaller budget than its predecessor, forcing the makers to focus on story and characters, instead of being led astray with the more flashy filmmaking.
Hellboy isn’t the only Dark Hose Comic adaptation currently in release, as Netflix recently premiered The Umbrella Academy , another comic from the publisher featuring a group of child superheroes destined to save the world if they can only overcome their own sibling rivalry and daddy issues.
The apocalypse starts tonight at midnight. The new Red Band Trailer for #Hellboy is coming. pic.twitter.com/GGxyDB74ED
— Dark Horse Comics (@DarkHorseComics) February 28, 2019
Our worst fears. Our best shot. #Hellboy pic.twitter.com/4PeDPs1eCG
— Hellboy (@HellboyMovie) February 28, 2019
Hellboy releases everywhere on April 12, 2019.