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''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' is a 2008 American
superhero film Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...
based on the
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
character of the same name, created by
Mike Mignola Michael Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a Hellboy Universe, shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', ''Abe Sapien'', ''Lobster Johns ...
. Produced by
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
,
Relativity Media Relativity Media, LLC is an American independent media company founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks and Ryan Kavanaugh. The company brokered film finance deals and later branched into film production and other entertainment ventures. The company ...
, Lawrence Gordon/
Lloyd Levin Lloyd A. Levin (born 1958) is an American film producer. Biography Early life Levin is a native of Paramus, New Jersey, where he attended Paramus High School and graduated in 1976. Producing career He was once the president of Lawrence Gordon ...
Productions, and
Dark Horse Entertainment Dark Horse Entertainment is a motion picture and television production arm of American comic book publishing company Dark Horse Comics, founded in 1992. They also have a sub-label, Dark Horse Indie. They have their headquarters in Milwaukie, Ore ...
, and distributed by Universal, it is a
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to ''
Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...
'' (2004) and is the second live-action film in the franchise. Directed and written by
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
from a story he co-wrote with Mignola, the film stars
Ron Perlman Ronald N. Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in th ...
as Hellboy, alongside
Selma Blair Selma Blair (born Selma Blair Beitner; June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' Cruel Intentions'', '' Legally Blonde'', '' The Sweetest Thing'', and the ''Hellboy'' franchise. Blair, born in Southfield, Michigan ...
, Doug Jones,
Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...
, and
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...
. In the film, Hellboy and the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense must battle a mythical prince who plans to reclaim the world for his magical kindred. ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' was released in the United States on July 11, 2008 to generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its fantasy atmosphere as well as Perlman and the other cast's acting performances. It grossed $168.3 million against a production budget of $82.5–85 million. The film received a nomination for Best Makeup at the
81st Academy Awards The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30  ...
. The franchise was
rebooted ''Rebooted'' is the third season of the animated television series ''Ninjago (TV series), Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The seaso ...
in 2019, with a new film simply titled ''
Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...
'', and was released by
Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
. Following the critical and commercial failure of the film, a second reboot was announced in 2023, titled '' Hellboy: The Crooked Man''.


Plot

During Christmas 1955, a young
Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...
is told a bedtime story by his adoptive father,
Trevor Bruttenholm Trevor Bruttenholm (Pseudonym, alias: Prof. Trevor Broom) is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne (comics), John Byrne. His first appearance was in the comic book ''Hellboy: Seed of De ...
, of an ancient war between humans and magical creatures. One day, the goblin blacksmith offers to Balor, king of the elves, to build him an indestructible mechanical army. Encouraged by his son Prince Nuada, Balor accepts. The Golden Army subsequently devastates humanity. Regretting his actions, Balor forms a truce with the humans. The crown to command the Golden Army, which can only be worn by one of royal blood, is split into three pieces. Nuada, disagreeing with the truce, leaves in exile. In the present, a year after Hellboy foiled the evil sorcerer
Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...
's plans to summon the demonic entities known as
Ogdru Jahad Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various Limited series (comics) ...
and enact Armageddon, Nuada returns and begins gathering the pieces of the crown. He collects the first piece from an auction by unleashing
tooth fairies The tooth fairy is a folkloric figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures. The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table; ...
that eat the crowd, and then kills his father for the second piece. His twin sister Princess Nuala escapes with the final piece. Meanwhile, at the
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola. The B.P.R.D. originally appeared in the ''Hellboy'' comics and has since become a major part of its Hellbo ...
(B.P.R.D.), demonic special agent Hellboy is having issues with his girlfriend Liz and dislikes that their organization must operate in secrecy. Investigating the auction slaughter, Hellboy allows himself to be revealed to the world. In the commotion,
Abe Sapien Abraham Sapien, born Langdon Everett Caul, is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "''Ichthyo sapien''", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his colleagues in ...
discovers Liz is pregnant but she swears him to secrecy. Furious at Hellboy's actions, Tom Manning's superiors send the ectoplasmic medium Johann Krauss to rein him in. With Krauss in charge, the team tracks the tooth fairies to a secret troll market under the
Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...
. Abe finds Nuala, who has obtained a map leading to the Golden Army, and falls in love with her. Hellboy fights and kills Nuada's accomplice Wink and an
elemental An elemental is a mythic supernatural being that is described in occult and alchemy, alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsu ...
forest god that Nuada summons against him. During the fight, Nuada questions why he fights for the humans when they have driven the magical creatures into hiding, of which he, too, is one. Nuala is taken under the B.P.R.D.'s protection. Nuada tracks his sister to the B.P.R.D. headquarters using their magical bond, which also causes them to share wounds and read each other's thoughts. Nuala hides the final crown piece before Nuada finds her and he battles Hellboy. Nuada critically wounds Hellboy with his spear and abducts Nuala, promising her return in exchange for the crown piece. Unable to remove the spear shard in his wound, Liz and Abe decide to take Hellboy to the Golden Army's location in the
Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...
of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. Krauss comes along, as he sympathizes with Liz, revealing that he, too, lost his wife in the accident that caused the loss of his own body. They encounter the Bethmoora goblin master blacksmith who brings them before the Angel of Death to retrieve the spear shard. Though warned that Hellboy will doom humanity if he lives and that she will suffer the most from it, Liz pleads for Hellboy's life. The Angel removes the shard from Hellboy's chest and tells Liz to give him a reason to live. She reveals to Hellboy that he will be a father and he recovers. The goblin leads the team to the resting place of the Golden Army, where Nuada awaits them. Abe gives him the last piece of the crown and Nuada awakens the Golden Army. Hellboy challenges Nuada for the right to command the army. As Hellboy is a member of Hell's royal family, Nuada must accept the challenge. Hellboy defeats Nuada and spares his life, but as Nuada tries stabbing him, Nuala commits suicide to stop her brother and the dying Nuada tells Hellboy he will have to choose whether humanity or magical beings must die. Abe psychically shares his feelings with Nuala before she dies. Liz uses her
pyrokinesis Pyrokinesis is a List of psychic abilities, psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of pyrokinesis. ...
to melt the crown, deactivating the Golden Army for good. Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Johann resign from the B.P.R.D. and Hellboy contemplates his future life with Liz and their baby, but Liz holds up two fingers and smiles.


Cast

*
Ron Perlman Ronald N. Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in th ...
as
Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...
: An immensely powerful demon who works for the government organization
Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola. The B.P.R.D. originally appeared in the ''Hellboy'' comics and has since become a major part of its Hellbo ...
(B.P.R.D.). Guillermo del Toro described the character's dilemma in the sequel, " ehas always fought on the side of humans, but this antasy of destructionpushes his buttons to reconsider." In the sequel, Hellboy is armed with an enormous new gun called "The Big Baby", which fires flare-like bullets.
Montse Ribé Montse Ribé (born 1972) is a Spanish make-up artist and actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Makeup for her work in ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006). She was one of 115 people invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ...
plays a young version of Hellboy in an opening flashback. *
Selma Blair Selma Blair (born Selma Blair Beitner; June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' Cruel Intentions'', '' Legally Blonde'', '' The Sweetest Thing'', and the ''Hellboy'' franchise. Blair, born in Southfield, Michigan ...
as
Liz Sherman Elizabeth Anne "Liz" Sherman is a fictional character appearing in the '' Hellboy'' comic book series created by Mike Mignola. A firestarter, she becomes a ward of the B.P.R.D. at age 11 after burning her family to death in a traumatic accid ...
: A
pyrokinetic Pyrokinesis is a psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of pyrokinesis. Many alleged cases are hoa ...
member of B.P.R.D. and Hellboy's girlfriend. Blair described her character as more engaging in the sequel, "In the first one she was afraid to take a step. She was completely a zombie, not wanting to own up to her power and having the memory of what she'd created in her life... I was really eager to come and play Liz with a little more vibrancy." Blair also had short hair for her role, avoiding long hair from her portrayal in the first film, which she felt "brought her face down". The actress emphasized Liz Sherman's growth in the sequel, "She's looking to the future much more, and things are happening in this one that she has to buck up... I think you're dealing with a lot knowing this young girl that we last saw as very damaged, and now she's with this guy, and all these people around her, I think, we've really had to step up a strength, and a confidence in her so that I don't look like the little baby kid sister tagging along." * Doug Jones as three characters: **
Abe Sapien Abraham Sapien, born Langdon Everett Caul, is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "''Ichthyo sapien''", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his colleagues in ...
: An ichthyo sapien
psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...
who works for B.P.R.D. with Hellboy. Jones said of his return to the role after the first film, "He's been an absolute treat for me to play this time. He's written with so many different colours and levels and there's a love interest... And his buddy time with Hellboy is more concrete and his brother/sister time with Liz is even better." Jones believed that Abe Sapien became "the brains, the intellect of the team" while Hellboy protects his character because he is still "kind of innocent". The actor pointed to his character's adolescence with love, "His love life is something that's never been tapped into before... So just like a 13-year-old with his first crush, this is how you're going to see Abe this time. A portion of him. Will this affect his decision-making powers?" Unlike the first movie, where Abe's voice was dubbed by
David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...
, Doug Jones provided the voice himself. ** Angel of Death: A female angel with
androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...
characteristics. Jones explained his portrayal, "The script refers to the angel as a her and that's what I do. I think she has feminine qualities, but she's not totally a woman either. And that's okay. I like characters that keep you guessing." ** Chamberlain: The door keeper for King Balor. The creature is long, gangly, eight feet tall and wears silk and velvet robes. It also has long, spindly fingers, which filmmakers mobilized with servos and which Jones wore as extensions of his own hands. * John Alexander and James Dodd as
Johann Kraus Johann Kraus is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He is featured in the comic book ''B.P.R.D.'', published by Dark Horse Comics. Kraus is a disembodied ectoplasm (parapsychology), ectoplasmic s ...
s: Krauss is a German psychic whose ectoplasmic being is contained in a suit after a botched
séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French language, French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one ma ...
. Originally, filmmakers planned to create a computer-generated version of the glass fishbowl helmet, but with the cost being prohibitive, they created an actual helmet. To ensure the invisibility of the actor's head under the glass, perspective and mirror tricks were used. The helmet was controlled by two puppeteers, so the heavy contraption had to be shared between Alexander and Dodd. **
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...
voices Johann Krauss, having taken over from
Thomas Kretschmann Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in ''Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' (2 ...
, after del Toro decided that Kretschmann's voice and the mechanical sound effects to Johann's suit did not mesh well. ** John Alexander also performs and voices the Bethmoora Goblin, a legless goblin who helps Hellboy and the team find the Angel of Death. He is the master goblin blacksmith who forged the Golden Army and lost his original legs in the process. *
Luke Goss Luke Damon Goss (born 29 September 1968) is an English actor, and drummer of the 1980s band Bros. He has appeared in numerous films including '' Blade II'' (2002) as Jared Nomak, '' One Night with the King'' (2006) as King Xerxes, '' Hellboy ...
as Prince Nuada Silverlance: King Balor's son and a martial arts expert of extraordinary proficiency. Goss was previously cast as mutant vampire Jared Nomak in del Toro's 2002 film ''
Blade II ''Blade II'' is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Blade, directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by David S. Goyer. The sequel to ''Blade'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Blade'' franchise. T ...
'', and the director approached the actor to be cast in ''Hellboy II''. The only other actor considered for the part was
Charlie Hunnam Charles Matthew Hunnam (; born 10 April 1980) is an English actor. He portrayed Jax Teller in the FX (TV channel), FX drama series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014), for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for ...
. Goss trained with action director and former
Jackie Chan Stunt Team The Jackie Chan Stunt Team (), also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association, is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan. Founded in the 1970s, it originally included Hong Kong action stuntmen and martial art ...
member,
Brad Allan Bradley James Allan (14 February 1973 – 7 August 2021) was an Australian martial artist, action choreographer, actor, and stunt performer. He worked in the Hong Kong film industry as a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and choreographed ...
, learning sword and spear skills for six to seven months for his role. He and Anna Walton also learned ancient
Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...
from a dialog coach for their lines. Goss did not perceive Nuada as evil, explaining, "It's issues, his people, he's part of what he truly believes. I don't think, really, he's so deluded... eis driven by an ethic that was instilled by the person he has problems ith; that is,his father, and inevitably, that leads into the conflict with him and Hellboy." Goss also noted that his character admired and revered his twin sister, portrayed by Anna Walton. He said of the prince and the princess, "There is an
incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...
uous relationship that's not maybe overly obvious to everybody, but some people hopefully will pick up on the fact, certainly from my direction towards her." *
Anna Walton Anna Walton (born 18 December 1980) is an English actress known for her roles in '' Vampire Diary'', ''Mutant Chronicles'', and the compassionate Princess Nuala in '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army''. Walton began working as a model while still ...
as Princess Nuala: King Balor's daughter and Nuada's twin sister. She is described as "very light" while Nuada is "very dark", creating a
yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...
dynamic. She elaborated on the incestuous tones between her character and Prince Nuada, "He's the dark side and she's the light side and they're pulled apart and pulled back together again, and she's trying to get away because she knows there is something she has to do. He can't let that go and they can't really do anything without each other so it's a really interesting thing." Her character also forms a relationship with Abe Sapien, and Walton noted their similarities, "They are both slightly lost souls and they understand each other." Walton spoke of her character's sense of purpose, "She feels very strongly about what she has to do in the film, and then her absolute connection and love for the Earth and what we are given. That's what she's here to protect... Her relationship with her brother, and how he is almost a part of her but she has to break away and will do whatever it takes to stop him from achieving what he wants to achieve, which is the mass destruction of mankind." *
Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank ...
as Tom Manning: Head of the B.P.R.D., he has a slightly antagonistic relationship with Hellboy. *
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...
as
Trevor Bruttenholm Trevor Bruttenholm (Pseudonym, alias: Prof. Trevor Broom) is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne (comics), John Byrne. His first appearance was in the comic book ''Hellboy: Seed of De ...
: Hellboy's adoptive father, he is seen in the beginning of the film telling young Hellboy the story of the Golden Army. *
Brian Steele Brian Steele is an American actor who is best known for frequently playing monsters in films and television. In 2018, he appeared as The Robot in ''Lost in Space''. Steele stands at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m). Career On television, Steele was t ...
as four of the trolls: ** Mr. Wink: A giant cave troll who was originally conceived by Guillermo del Toro. Wink was sculpted by Mario Torres, and the costume was worn by Brian Steele. In the film, Wink's right arm has a giant metal fist. The fist was designed by filmmakers to be made of heavy plastic to stay light enough for motors to operate the mechanical fingers. The fist could also be physically detached and used as a projectile without any computer-generated imagery used. Several of Mike Mignola's comics characters wield similar mechanical fists on chains, including the Kriegaffes used by
Herman von Klempt Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots, ...
. Likewise, Mr. Wink has an old wound on the left side of his face that has closed one of his eyes. Del Toro said that he named Mr. Wink after
Selma Blair Selma Blair (born Selma Blair Beitner; June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in '' Cruel Intentions'', '' Legally Blonde'', '' The Sweetest Thing'', and the ''Hellboy'' franchise. Blair, born in Southfield, Michigan ...
's one-eyed dog (which Blair confirms in a commentary track for the DVD release). ** Cathedral Head: A troll who is the owner of a map shop who gives Princess Nuala the hidden map. ** Fragglewump: A monstrous Scottish troll that masquerades as a sweet old lady and feeds on kittens and fears canaries. ** Cronie Troll: A spice shop owner who gets in an argument with Hellboy in the troll market *
Roy Dotrice Roy Dotrice (26 May 1923 – 16 October 2017) was a British stage and screen actor. He played the antiquarian John Aubrey in the solo play '' Brief Lives''. He won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway revival of '' A Moon for ...
as King Balor: The one-armed king of Elfland. All of his dialogue is in Gaelic.


Production

In May 2004, following the release of
Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
's ''
Hellboy Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots ...
'' the previous month, a sequel was announced by
Revolution Studios Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC (operating as Revolution Studios) is an American independent motion picture and foreign sales company headed by Chief Executive Officer Scott Hemming, founded in 2000, and based in Los Angeles, Los Ang ...
with del Toro returning to direct and
Ron Perlman Ronald N. Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American actor. His credits include the roles of Amoukar in ''Quest for Fire (film), Quest for Fire'' (1981), Salvatore in ''The Name of the Rose (film), The Name of the Rose'' (1986), Vincent in th ...
reprising his lead role as the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
. The director sought to create a film trilogy with the first sequel anticipated for release in 2006. Revolution Studios planned to produce the film and distribute it through a deal with
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
, but by 2006, their distribution deal was not renewed and Revolution began refocusing on exploiting their film library. In August 2006,
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
acquired the project with the intent to finance and distribute the sequel, which was newly scheduled to be released in summer of 2008. Production was scheduled to begin in April 2007 in
Etyek Etyek () is a village in Fejér County, Hungary, approximately 30 km from Budapest. The area is surrounded by vineyards and is known for its wine-production. The Korda Studios Korda Studios (in Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Korda Films ...
, Hungary (near Budapest) and London,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Director Guillermo del Toro explored several concepts for the sequel, initially planning to recreate the classic versions of
Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
,
Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
and the Wolf Man. He and comic book creator
Mike Mignola Michael Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a Hellboy Universe, shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', ''Abe Sapien'', ''Lobster Johns ...
also spent a few days adapting the ''Almost Colossus'' story, featuring
Roger Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...
the
Homunculus A homunculus ( , , ; "little person", : homunculi , , ) is a small human being. Popularized in 16th-century alchemy and 19th-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has root ...
. They then found it easier to create an original story based on folklore, because del Toro was planning ''
Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' () is a 2006 dark fantasy film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. The film stars Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, and Ariadna Gil. The story takes place in Spain in the summe ...
'', and Mignola's comics were becoming increasingly based on mythology. Later, del Toro pitched a premise to Revolution Studios that involved four Titans from the four corners of Earth—Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth—before he replaced the Titans with a Golden Army. Mignola described the theme of the sequel, "The focus is more on the folklore and fairy tale aspect of ''Hellboy''. It's not Nazis, machines and mad scientists but the old gods and characters who have been kind of shoved out of our world." Del Toro released ''
Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' () is a 2006 dark fantasy film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. The film stars Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, and Ariadna Gil. The story takes place in Spain in the summe ...
'' in 2006, and the film earned multiple
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
, providing the director enough clout to begin production on the film. Guillermo del Toro began filming the film in June 2007 in Budapest and concluded in December 2007. The film was the first American production to shoot at Korda Studios in Hungary, then newly built outside Budapest. The creature shop was led by the company Spectral Motion, and Filmefex contributed work in makeup and prosthetics. The latter company designed a creature for the troll market scene and built several statues and full-size replicas of the Golden Army.


Music

*
Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the ''Billboard'' country music charts, second onl ...
– "
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and first recorded by Harry Reser and His Orchestra. When it was covered by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in November 1934 it became a hit; w ...
" *
Takako Nishizaki Takako Nishizaki BBS (born 14 April 1944) is a Japanese violinist. She was the first student to complete the Suzuki Method course, at age nine. Biography Nishizaki went to the United States from Japan in 1962. She first studied with Broadus E ...
and
Jenő Jandó Jenő Jandó (; 1 February 1952 – 4 July 2023) was a Hungarian pianist and Professor of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. He was the first house pianist for Naxos Records and recorded more than 60 albums. Background and education ...
– " Violin Sonata No. 9" *
Travis Travis may refer to: People and fictional characters *Travis (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Travis (surname), a list of people Places in the United States *Travis, Staten Island, a neighborhood *Travis Air Force Base, a ...
– "
All I Want to Do Is Rock "All I Want to Do Is Rock" is the debut single by the Scottish rock band Travis Travis may refer to: People and fictional characters *Travis (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Travis (surname), a list of people Places in ...
" * Poet in Process – "Why" * Brenga Astur – "Nel Caleyu La Fonte" *
Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...
– "Beautiful Freak" *
Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...
– "
Can't Smile Without You "Can't Smile Without You" is a song written by Christian Arnold, David Martin and Geoff Morrow, and recorded by various artists including Barry Manilow and the Carpenters. It was first recorded and released by David Martin as a solo single in 19 ...
" * Red Is for Fire – "Noir"


Release

''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' opened on July 11, 2008, in 3,204 theaters in the United States and Canada. The film ranked first at the box office, grossing an estimated $35.9 million over the weekend, outperforming the opening of its predecessor, which had opened with $23.2 million. The opening was the biggest of Guillermo del Toro's directing career until 2013, when it was surpassed by ''
Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...
.'' Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
, during the opening weekend, gave the film a 'B' grade. The demographic for the film was mostly male, and the age distribution for moviegoers below and above 25 years old was evenly split. Outside of the United States and Canada, the film had a limited release on 533 screens in Mexico,
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
, and
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
, grossing $4.6 million. In its second weekend in the United States and Canada, the film's box office performance dropped 71% to gross $10.1 million, a larger drop than its predecessor, which dropped 53% in comparison. The sequel's larger drop was attributed to the significant opening of the Batman film ''
The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...
''. As of September 9, 2008 the film has grossed $75,986,503 in the United States and Canada. The film came top in the UK and Ireland box office charts upon its release on August 22 and earned an additional international gross of $84,401,560 bringing its worldwide total to $160,388,063.


Marketing

In addition to
television spot Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ente ...
s showing scenes from the film, humorous adverts were also aired depicting Hellboy appearing on '' Ghost Hunters''; being interviewed by
James Lipton Louis James Lipton (September 19, 1926 – March 2, 2020) was an American writer, actor, talk show host, and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He was the executive producer, writer, and host of ...
on ''
Inside the Actors Studio ''Inside the Actors Studio'' is an American talk show that airs on Ovation. The series premiered on June 12, 1994 on Bravo, airing for 22 seasons and was hosted by James Lipton from its premiere until 2018. It is taped at the Michael Schimmel ...
''; playing video games with
Chuck Bartowski Charles Irving Bartowski is the title character of the American spy show ''Chuck'' on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi. UGO.com named him one of the best TV nerds. Character profile At the outset of the show, Chuck Bartowski is presented ...
from ''
Chuck Chuck () is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV produce ...
''; visiting the set of '' American Gladiators''; auditioning for a high school event; and hosting a
public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...
with a cat.


Home media

''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2008. For the DVD, there is both a single-disc and a 3-disc special edition (not available in the UK). The single-disc edition includes the movie and a very limited selection of special features. Available on the one-disc edition is a "Director's Notebook" section, in which pages of Del Toro's notebook are reproduced, showcasing design sketches and annotations by the director, as well as "video pod" segments in which he explains these designs and concepts further. The segment is available in the three-disc edition in the "pre-production vault", which also includes other galleries. The three-disc special edition includes two audio commentaries (one by Del Toro and another by members of the cast), six deleted scenes, several featurettes, a full-length documentary, and image galleries. Though not added into the movie after credits due to budget cuts, a comic style of the Zinco Sequel is added to the special features, serving as a prologue to the third Hellboy movie. The third disc contains a digital copy. ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on May 7, 2019.


Reception


Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reported that of critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average rating of , based on reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Guillermo del Toro crafts a stellar comic book sequel, boasting visuals that are as imaginative as the characters are endearing." On ''
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
'' the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' gave the film three and a half stars out of four, the same rating he gave the first film, writing: "In every way the equal of del Toro's original ''Hellboy'', although perhaps a little noisier, it's another celebration of his love for bizarre fantasy and diabolical machines." Michael Rechtshaffen writing in ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said ''Hellboy II'' was an uncompromised vision of del Toro's imagination. He said that with the director given free rein, the film came across as an amalgam of the best moments from his previous films, only with better visual effects. John Anderson of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote of a
rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...
precision to the visuals that exceeded that of the first film. He cited del Toro's "clockmaker's preoccupation with detail" and ability to blend state-of-the-art technology with more classical visuals as the reasons for the film's success. Owen Gleiberman of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' said that the plot did not often deviate from its comic-book traditions, but that del Toro staged the action "brilliantly". He said that while the visual effects deserved recognition, what made the film so exciting was the personality they were imbued with. Chuck Wilson of ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' said that del Toro was on autopilot, but that he and his ''
Pan's Labyrinth ''Pan's Labyrinth'' () is a 2006 dark fantasy film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. The film stars Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, and Ariadna Gil. The story takes place in Spain in the summe ...
'' crew, cinematographer
Guillermo Navarro Guillermo Jorge Navarro Solares, (born July 29, 1955) is a Mexican cinematographer and television director.Scott, A. O. (November 21, 2001). ''The New York Times''The Devil's Backbone (review overview)./ref> He had been a frequent collaborator ...
in particular, staged the steady stream of action set-pieces expertly. Mike Goodridge of ''
Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...
'' wrote that del Toro had retained the
B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
tone of the first film, saying the film managed to avoid the self-importance of ''
The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
'' and the ''Batman'' film series and that del Toro was simply a "great storyteller" providing a "good time". Stuart Levine in ''
Premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
'' praised the visuals and "beautiful" set-pieces, but said del Toro's script fell a little short of his direction. Writing for ''
MSNBC.com MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts ...
'',
Alonso Duralde Alonso Duralde (born May 18, 1967) is an American film critic, author, and podcaster. He has been a writer and editor for ''The Film Verdict'', ''The Wrap'', ''The Advocate (LGBT magazine), The Advocate'' and MSNBC.com. Personal life Duralde ...
declared that it represented a backwards step for del Toro, saying that despite several creepy sequences, the film was a return to the muddled storytelling and pretty visuals of his pre-''Pan's Labyrinth'' films. He said del Toro's screenplay lacked energy or momentum. However,
Peter Bradshaw Peter Nicholas Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire'' magazine. Early life and education Bradshaw was educat ...
, of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', said almost the opposite was the case, as he thinks "it is a crackingly enjoyable and exciting sequel, with something that the memory of Pan's Labyrinth might have entirely erased: a sense of humour." Noting that "this spectacular movie seethes and fizzes with wit and energy, absorbing and transforming influences such as
Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric ...
and even
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
and the secret world of
Diagon Alley Diagon Alley is a fictional shopping district in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' franchise. The location first appeared in the 1997 novel ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone''. It is featured in multiple video games, as well a 2001 board ga ...
." John Anderson said the film would be "almost unthinkable" without Ron Perlman in the lead role, saying the film was more successful than its predecessor mainly due to the more deliberately amusing tone and the "drily ironic" title character. He said the only weak link was Luke Goss's "unimposing" villain. While praising the general banter between Perlman and Blair, Stuart Levine said the nonchalant Hellboy exhibited insufficient growth as a character, and that Jeffrey Tambor was largely wasted in his role. He agreed that Goss's villain was weak as written, with no tangible menace. Helen O'Hara of ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' said the character was only let down by a lack of screentime in which to give him enough dramatic weight, and that Goss did "a perfectly good job". Owen Gleiberman said Perlman was more assured than in the first ''Hellboy'', funnier and more cantankerous. He said the entire ensemble had "an appealing, outsize grandeur" about it. Mike Goodridge said the film carefully developed the character relationships, and Chuck Wilson said that other than the title character's penchant for chewing cigars, he was otherwise "uninteresting". Alonso Duralde wrote that the "sitcom-ish" character dilemmas were uninteresting, saying that Perlman and Tambor's performances were regularly let down by the script. He said that Blair's performance was possibly the first bad one he'd seen by the actress, and that while Jones was "brilliant" physically, his vocal performance was inferior to
David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born David Pierce; April 3, 1959) is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of psychiatrist Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, he received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting A ...
's in the first ''Hellboy'' film. Michael Rechtshaffen called Perlman "terrific" and said Blair's brooding portrayal was effective. Michael Rechtshaffen concluded that ''Hellboy II'' was less focused than the first film, but that it played "faster and looser" and mostly a "wild ride". In a positive review, John Anderson's main criticism was a sequence set in Northern Ireland, which he called the least interesting and most conventional segment of the film. Chuck Wilson said the film "didn't have much on its mind", but that it would amaze children and amuse adults, Stuart Levine said the film was worth viewers' time, and Alonso Duralde said ''Hellboy II'' was "limp and unengaging". Owen Gleiberman surmised that the film was "derivative yet... dazzling", and Mike Goodridge concluded by praising the filmmakers' skill at creating a film that, despite featuring "stunning" action sequences and creature effects, still found time for character development and a fulfilling story that expanded the franchise's wider
mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
. Peter Bradshaw suggested that "'
Visionary A visionary, defined broadly, is one who can envision the future. For some groups, visioning can involve the supernatural. Though visionaries may face accusations of hallucinating, people may succeed in reaching a visionary state via medita ...
' is a word too easily applied to fantasy movies, but it sticks easily here." The film appeared on some critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Rene Rodriguez of the ''
Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by McClatchy, The McClatchy Company and headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Founded in 1903, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in Florida, serving Miami-Dade, Broward County, Fl ...
'' named it the fifth-best film of 2008 (along with ''
The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...
''), and Stephanie Zacharek of ''
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
'' named it the tenth-best film of 2008 (along with ''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'').


Awards


Tie-in publications and merchandise


Short story

Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins co-authored the short story, "Tasty Teeth", which was published in the 2004 anthology ''Hellboy: Odder Jobs'' by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
. In the story, Hellboy encounters
tooth fairies The tooth fairy is a folkloric figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures. The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table; ...
in a tomb in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, featuring elements that were later incorporated into the auction house sequence in the film.


Promotional comic

This story by Mike Mignola and Guillermo del Toro with art by Francisco Ruiz Velasco was published as a special promotion for the film by
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
in one-shot comic book ''Hellboy: The Golden Army'' (January 2008) with three variant covers: # Photo cover of Ron Perlman as Hellboy # Photo cover of Doug Jones as Abe Sapien # Photo cover of Selma Blair as Liz Sherman In his introduction film director del Toro affirms his and Mignola's admiration of Velasco's "clean, propulsive narrative, draftsmanship, and artistic skills" and states that the intention of this title is to treat the film's opening narrative as a mini-epic and give the artist the opportunity to tell it with unlimited budget and shooting time. In the story Professor
Trevor Bruttenholm Trevor Bruttenholm (Pseudonym, alias: Prof. Trevor Broom) is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne (comics), John Byrne. His first appearance was in the comic book ''Hellboy: Seed of De ...
, caring for the young Hellboy at Douglas Air Force Base,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, on Christmas Eve 1944, relates the story of the Golden Army from the film's opening prologue, which he describes as the first tale ever told, as a bedtime story that he ends by saying one day Hellboy may find out if it is true.


Art book

''Hellboy II: The Art of the Movie'' (June 18, 2008, ) by Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola with art by Sergio Sandoval and Francisco Ruiz Velasco looks into the film's evolution, from early concept art and diary sketches to photos of the final props, sets, and includes: *Complete screenplay including a deleted scene illustrated with the original storyboards *Interviews and commentary from creator Mike Mignola and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro


Novelization

''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' (June 18, 2008, ) by
Robert Greenberger Robert Greenberger (born July 24, 1958) is an American writer and editor known for his work on ''Comics Scene'', ''Starlog'', ''Weekly World News'', the novelization of the film ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army#Novelization, Hellboy II'', and for ...
is the official novelization of the film.


Video game

During its initial theatrical release in North America, a
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
set within the Hellboy universe was released around the time that of the film entitled '' Hellboy: The Science of Evil'' for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
,
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
, released on June 24 in North America and August 15 in Europe. Despite its close release date, promotion alongside the film and featuring voices of the same actors, the game is not a direct movie
tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, website, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original proper ...
with the plot not being related to that of the film but instead follows an original story where Hellboy investigates
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
operations in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
under
Herman von Klempt Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots, ...
, an antagonist from the comics.


Zinco epilogue

Included as a special feature on the DVD is an animated comic that foreshadows the events of the next film. In the Zinco Epilogue, a group of men go into
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
's tomb and find Kroenen's body. After bringing Kroenen to a doctor along with instructions to revive him with an alchemical manual, Zinco and his party travel to an arctic cave with Zinco as the only survivor. Upon entering the cavern, Zinco opens a container he has with him containing the preserved head of Kroenen and attaches it to a giant robot. As soon as it is attached, the cyborg awakens and the spirit of Rasputin appears, stating that he has one more job for him.


Post release


Cancelled sequel and spin-offs

Guillermo del Toro had envisioned a potential third installment in the ''Hellboy'' film series as early as 2006, when ''II'' was still in pre-production; the idea was not to end the second film on a cliffhanger, but rather to raise a minor plot point in its conclusion that a third entry could then expand upon. In the leadup to ''The Golden Army''s release, del Toro continued to express interest in a sequel: "I think we would all come back to do a third ''Hellboy'' ..I certainly know where we're going with the movie on the third one" – albeit indicating that his responsibilities with adapting ''The Hobbit'' were his immediate priority (del Toro would exit the ''Hobbit'' project in 2010). In June 2010, del Toro speculated that ''Hellboy 3'' could happen, but emphasized it would not be his next film as a screenplay had yet to be written. Del Toro and Ron Perlman appeared at the 2012
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
to promote ''
Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...
''; having been inspired by a recent Make-A-Wish function in which Perlman appeared in full Hellboy makeup for a terminally ill boy, del Toro announced that the duo were "going to make an effort" to make ''Hellboy 3'', despite not having communicated with Mignola or connected with a studio. On April 5, 2013, in an interview with ''
Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'', Hellboy creator
Mike Mignola Michael Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a Hellboy Universe, shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', ''Abe Sapien'', ''Lobster Johns ...
remarked that a third ''Hellboy'' film was unlikely to emerge, joking that he found himself "explaining endlessly ... that there's no ''Hellboy 3'' movie". Mignola also vetoed the idea of telling the story of ''Hellboy 3'' in comic book form, out of a desire to keep the comic and film versions of ''Hellboy'' separate. The budget and scale of a potential threequel was often mentioned as an obstacle to its production. Del Toro indicated that the movie would need "about $150 million" – nearly double the $85 million budget of ''The Golden Army'' – to render its apocalyptic scale of Hellboy becoming the beast of the Apocalypse. Perlman similarly opined that "'' ellboy 3' needs to be twice as big as ''Hellboy 1'' or ''Hellboy 2''." Del Toro reiterated these issues in a 2014
Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
AMA, admitting that "we don't have that movie on the horizon." He explained that the first two ''Hellboy'' movies underperformed in theaters but made more money on
home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...
rentals and sales, and that as that profit stream was declining with the rise of
streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
studios had become wary of financing a project like ''Hellboy 3''. Attempts were made to produce ''Hellboy 3'' for
Legendary Pictures Legendary Entertainment, LLC (also known as Legendary Pictures or simply Legendary) is an American mass media and film production company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull. The company has often collaborated with the major stu ...
, particularly in the wake of del Toro's production of ''Pacific Rim'' with the company. Legendary founder and then-CEO/chairman
Thomas Tull Thomas J. Tull (born June 9, 1970) is an American billionaire businessman, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Legendary Entertainment. Tull is the founder of Tulco LLC, an investment h ...
had expressed a desire to "see ''Hellboy 3''" in 2013, leading del Toro to reach out him to resolve the series. The production company indicated potential for funding ''Hellboy 3'' if the sequel to ''Pacific Rim'' (initially planned to be written and directed by del Toro) performed well at the box office; though as del Toro was replaced in both directorial and writing roles while ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' was still in pre-production, this deal presumably fell through. In February 2017, del Toro announced via Twitter that, after meeting with all parties, ''Hellboy 3'' "100% ..will not happen", emphasizing that this would be his final word on the project. Perlman remained enthusiastic about and committed to the project over the years, even after del Toro's final statement and the release of the reboot, going as far as turning down an appearance in a ''Hellboy'' project that would not involve del Toro. In 2024, twenty years after the first ''Hellboy'' movie, Perlman admitted that he'd "finally gotten to the point where I realize '' ellboy 3' is just never going to happen."


''Hellboy: Silverlance'' spinoff

In 2010, ''Hellboy'' screenwriter
Peter Briggs Peter Briggs may refer to: * Peter Briggs (screenwriter) (born 1965), English cinematographer and screenwriter * Peter Briggs (badminton) (born 1992), English badminton player * Peter Briggs (scientist) (born 1944), British scientist and universi ...
was asked by Universal to script a spin-off centering on Prince Nuada, and provisionally agreed that Briggs could direct the film in New Zealand. Briggs began work on an outline with co-writer Aaron Mason. Titled ''Hellboy: Silverlance'', the script was a
B.P.R.D. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola. The B.P.R.D. originally appeared in the ''Hellboy'' comics and has since become a major part of its expand ...
story featuring Abe Sapien as the main character with Hellboy in a supporting role. Moving into the new B.P.R.D. headquarters in Colorado, Abe is troubled by his psychic connection with Princess Nuala, and begins researching the elves' history. The film would have shown Nuada's adventures throughout history, including his rivalry with a fairy courtier who orchestrates Nuada's exile in hopes of marrying Nuala and seizing control of the fairy kingdom; Nuada first meeting Mister Wink by saving him from a troupe of soldiers during the
Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...
; and Nuada in
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, engineering a pact to keep various supernatural entities safe during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
(with Nuada and
Kroenen Professor Doctor Karl Ruprect Kroenen is a fictional supervillain in the ''Hellboy'' comic book series, created by Mike Mignola. Kroenen is a Nazi occult scientist and disciple of Rasputin who was involved in the ritual that first brought Hellb ...
fighting in a "friendly" match for Project Ragnarok men). Doug Jones would have played both Abe and the Angel of Death, who strikes a bargain with Nuada.
Rupert Evans Rupert Evans (born 9 March 1977) is a British actor. Early life Rupert Evans was born on March 9, 1977, in Staffordshire, England and was brought up on a farm in the same area. Evans was educated at Bilton Grange School, followed by Milton A ...
's Agent Myers would also have returned. The story climaxed at the new B.P.R.D. headquarters, with the return of
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...
's summoning gauntlet. Universal wanted to proceed with the project, but it emerged that del Toro's ''Hellboy 3'' was still a possibility, so ''Silverlance'' was shelved. In 2015, Briggs received another call from Universal, saying that ''Hellboy 3'' had been cancelled and asking him and Mason to return for a reworked ''Silverlance'', with producer Lawrence Gordon involved. The caveat was that Hellboy could not appear, but the writers managed to get the character a cameo appearance at the climax. If successful, the film would have launched a ''From the Files of the B.P.R.D.'' spin-off series. In May 2017, Briggs affirmed that, with the announcement of the ''Hellboy'' reboot, the ''Silverlance'' project was dead.


Reboots

About 2014, Mignola, writer Andrew Cosby, and the producers began work on the story for a new film. The project was initially intended as a sequel to del Toro's films, but Perlman was unwilling to star without del Toro involved. When
Neil Marshall Neil Marshall (born 25 May 1970) is an English film and television director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. He directed the horror films ''Dog Soldiers (film), Dog Soldiers'' (2002) and ''The Descent'' (2005), the science fiction action f ...
joined, it was decided that the new film would be a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
. On May 8, 2017, it was announced that
Millennium Films A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting p ...
was in negotiations with producers Larry Gordon and
Lloyd Levin Lloyd A. Levin (born 1958) is an American film producer. Biography Early life Levin is a native of Paramus, New Jersey, where he attended Paramus High School and graduated in 1976. Producing career He was once the president of Lawrence Gordon ...
for a film with the working title ''Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen'', with Marshall in talks to direct and ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
'' star
David Harbour David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. His accolades include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He began his career acting in Shakespearean theatre productions. Aft ...
expected to play Hellboy. Hellboy creator Mike Mignola co-wrote the script with Cosby and
Christopher Golden Christopher Golden (born July 15, 1967) is an American writer. Early life Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. He graduated from Tufts University. Career As well as novels, Golden has written com ...
. On August 8, 2017,
Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
confirmed that the project would finally only be known as ''Hellboy''. The film was released on April 12, 2019 to negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office. In February 2023, Millennium Media announced plans for a new live-action reboot titled ''Hellboy: The Crooked Man'', the first in a planned series of films. Brian Taylor directed from a script by Mignola and Golden, based on the 2008 comic of the same name. The film was co-produced between Nu Boyana and Campbell Grobman Film and is presented by Millennium Media in association with Dark Horse Entertainment. The film was released direct-to-VOD in the United States on October 8, 2024.


Notes


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * * * *
From mind to movie - how the world of Hellboy II was created - Extrageographic
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