The Hellboy reboot starring David Harbour released last year to negative reviews and poor box office returns. Grossing only $44.7 million worldwide on a sizeable $50 million budget, it wasn't exactly the reboot fans of the Dark Horse Comics were hoping for. In an Instagram Live session, Harbour addressed its failure, indicating Hellboy was doomed from the start because the Guillermo del Toro films starring Ron Perlman were so beloved.
"I think it failed before we began shooting because I think that people didn’t want us to make the movie," Harbour said, as Screen Rant reports. "Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman created this iconic thing that we thought could be reinvented and then they certainly—the loudness of the internet was like, 'We do not want you to touch this.' And then we made a movie that I think is fun and I think had its problems but was a fun movie, and then people were just very, very against it,. And that’s people’s right, but I learned my lesson in a lot of different ways."
When development on the 2019 film started, it was initially set to be a sequel to del Toro's Hellboy II: The Golden Army. When he wasn't offered the opportunity to write and direct the third movie in the franchise, Perlman said he would not return without del Toro involved. Upon their departure, it was turned into an R-rated reboot with Neil Marshall hired to direct.
During his stream, Harbour also gave a brief update on Stranger Things 4. He said that it was originally "supposed to come out early next year, I think," but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it remains to be seen whether it will still make that timeframe. "I don't have authority on this," he was sure to add, mentioning that the fourth season will "probably be pushed back."
