We’re only days away from the digital release of Hellboy: The Crooked Man, the latest production in the Hellboy franchise, which fans have been anticipating for months. Fortunately, fans now have something to pass the time as the first-ever live-action Hellboy movie, released in 2004 and directed by the iconic Guillermo del Toro, will be available to stream next month — for free. Yes, you read that right! The superhero film, which saw Ron Perlman leading as the titular character, will land on Pluto TV on Tuesday, October 1, exactly a week before Hellboy: The Crooked Man arrives.
In addition to directing the well-received movie, Del Toro also wrote the screenplay, inspired by the comic Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, with the lead character based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name, created by Mike Mignola. Joining Perlman in bringing the film’s characters to life were Selma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, and John Hurt. Following Hellboy’s debut in the U.S., it was applauded by many, including critics, and has earned $99.8 million at the box office. Not to mention, it currently holds an 81% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The ‘Hellboy’ Franchise Will Make a Comeback This Fall
The Hellboy franchise, comprising four live-action films, will return with Hellboy: The Crooked Man on Tuesday, October 8, to be released on VOD. Regarding the four films, the 2004 movie was followed by a sequel from Del Toro, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, released in 2008, with Perlman and Blair returning. Two reboots then followed, one released in 2019 and another coming up next month.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man began filming in March 2023 in Bulgaria and ended in May. The reboot will see Jack Kesy as Hellboy, and starring alongside him are Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph. In anticipation of what’s to come next month, co-writer Brian Taylor once revealed how different the upcoming movie is compared to the past productions. Speaking with Collider’s Steven Weintraub back in July, Taylor shared:
“It’s completely different. We didn’t go into this referencing any of the other movies. We went into it referencing absolutely one thing, and that is the original Mike Mignola comic book. We wanted to take The Crooked Man and adapt it faithfully. That means it’s a period piece, it’s a younger Hellboy, and it has no relation to the other films. It’s sort of that much-loved by myself and other fans folk horror, almost procedural kind of Hellboy. He’s like a wandering nightstalker. He’ll just end up in your town for some reason; you’ve got a haunting, you’ve got some problems with dark forces, and he’s a plumber, and he’s gonna solve it for you. That’s the kind of Hellboy that we really like. My approach was to have an audience of one. If Mike Mignola feels like this is his Hellboy, then I feel like we succeeded.”
Hellboy (2004) will be available to stream for free on Pluto TV on October 1.
via Collider