Piece by piece, the newest cinematic incarnation of Hellboy is coming together. Today comes a big casting coup, as Deadwood and American Gods actor Ian McShane has jumped aboard the big-screen revamp of the Mike Mignola creation per THR.
McShane, the master-thespian who gave one of my favorite quotes like year, when he described Game of Thrones as “tits and dragons”, will play the first director of the BPRD: Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced “Broom”). He’s also the adoptive father of Hellboy, having been with him since his arrival during World War II.
He’ll be stepping into the role played by the late John Hurt in the previous two films, and brings a very different energy to the part. It’ll be fascinating to see how McShane melds the character to his sizable talents. He’s joined by David Harbour, who plays the title character, in the Neil Marshall-directed film, written by Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Andrew Cosby.
Depending on how large a role Bruttenholm plays in the film, this indicates that we may be looking at tale of Hellboy’s earlier years – provided the film sticks to the timeline of the source material, or perhaps this is the beginning of his end. Given Mignola’s direct involvement, either could be likely.
Filming begins on Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen this September in the UK and Bulgaria.
