Hellboy Screenplay

Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed the 2004 Hellboy film, adapting Mike Mignola's Dark Horse Comics character for the big screen. Ron Perlman plays Hellboy, a role that became closely associated with both the actor and director, with extensive prosthetic makeup. Perlman and del Toro reunited for a sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, released in 2008.

Hellboy is a demon summoned to Earth as an infant by the occultist Grigori Rasputin during a Nazi ritual near the end of World War II. He is discovered by Allied forces and raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, founder of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). Despite his demonic origins, Hellboy grows up to be a force for good, fighting supernatural threats while grappling with his destined role as the bringer of the apocalypse.

No, the 2019 Hellboy film directed by Neil Marshall and starring David Harbour as Hellboy is a complete reboot, not connected to del Toro's 2004 and 2008 films. Del Toro had planned a third Hellboy film for years, but the project stalled and was eventually abandoned. The 2019 reboot was poorly received by critics and audiences and underperformed significantly at the box office.

The screenplay adapts Mike Mignola's Hellboy comics, published by Dark Horse Comics beginning with the miniseries Hellboy: Seed of Destruction in 1994. Mignola's distinctive art style and fusion of pulp adventure, folklore, and Lovecraftian horror heavily influenced del Toro's visual approach to the film. Del Toro worked closely with Mignola during development to capture the tone of the source material.