The first trailer for Hellboy: The Crooked Man has been released and some fans are not happy with the results.
Everyone’s favorite demonic government worker is back in Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which dropped its first trailer today (July 1).
The movie will act as a second reboot of the franchise and take place in 1950s, just like the comic book story on which it’s based. Crooked Man will follow Hellboy and a rookie agent of the BPRD (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) as they team up to confront a soul-stealing monster terrorizing the residents of Appalachia.
While some viewers were excited to see their red hero back on the big screen, others weren’t shy about voicing their disappointment. As one fan commented, “Almost thought this was a fan made film at first glance.”
First trailer for ‘HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN.’Releasing in theaters later this year. pic.twitter.com/dx6pHKtDH9
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) July 1, 2024
Another echoed this sentiment on X/Twitter with the post, “Some Hollywood exec said, ‘Lets make a cheap budgeted horror movie with a popular IP.'”
And a third viewer seemed to sum up the majority of fans’ frustrations, writing, “If it’s not a Guillermo film I’m not watching.”
This is referencing the fact that the first two live-action Hellboy movies were directed by Guillermo del Toro and starred Ron Pearlman.
2004’s Hellboy was generally beloved by critics, currently sitting with 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the praise reflected in the movie’s $100 million box office earnings.
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Because of the first film’s success, del Toro went on to direct a sequel – Hellboy II: The Golden Army – which came out four years later.
While some sequels don’t live up to the hype of the original entry, Golden Army managed to surpass the first Hellboy in both praise and earnings.
The movie made nearly double its predecessor with a net profit of $168.3 million, and it was crowned the greatest superhero fantasy movie of the 21st century by one publication.
It’s clear del Toro’s franchise holds a special place in fans’ hearts, and the theory was proven true when 2019’s Hellboy starring David Harbour bombed, only making $55.1 million against its $50 million production budget.
However, The Crooked Man’s fate is not written in stone, with some fans willing to give the movie a chance.
“This Hellboy flick looks like a Mike Mignola story, and Jack Kesey has the comic accurate aesthetic,” one fan said. “And I love that this is a straight up horror flick. I’m willing to check out a new approach even though I’ll always love Ron Perlman in the role.”
For more, find out what new movies are coming out in July, and keep up with all the new TV shows coming to streaming this month.