Ron Perlman

‘Sons of Anarchy’ Star Ron Perlman’s Iconic Superhero Role Recast

Another actor has been cast in one of Ron Perlman’s most famous roles, the paranormal investigator superhero, Hellboy. Deadpool 2 star Jack Kesy has been cast in the franchise reboot, titled The Crooked Man, Entertainment Weekly reports.

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Adapted from the renowned comic miniseries of Mike Mignola and Richard Corben, The Crooked Man is set in 1950s Appalachia where Hellboy finds himself accompanied by a freshman BPRD agent. In this small town lurks an array of witches and one being exceptionally close to Hellboy’s past – the eponymous crooked man. The story fills in a gap of unexplored territory for the character and serves as something of a prequel to the Perlman films.

Crank director Brian Taylor will be leading the development of this new film, with its script written by Hellboy comic veterans Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden. Kesy will be the third person to embody Hellboy on screen, following in the footsteps of iconic actors Ron Perlman and David Harbour. The former brought director Guillermo del Toro’s original 2004 Hellboy film to life as well as its sequel, 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Meanwhile, Harbour assumed the role for 2019’s failed reboot directed by Neil Marshall.

Why Ron Perlman passed on a role in 2019’s ‘Hellboy’

Harbour’s interpretation of the character was deemed unappealing and unfavorable by both critics and theatergoers. It garnered a mere 17 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Perlman was actually approached to be part of the 2019 reboot but passed in the project.

“The reboot was something I had the opportunity to participate in. [I] decided that the only version of ‘Hellboy’ I’m interested in is the one I do with Guillermo,” The Sons of Anarchy star told Comicbookmovie.com in 2020. “So in walking away from it, I truly walked away from it. Haven’t seen it or heard much about it. I wished them well, but it was not in my bailiwick,” Perlman explained.

However, just last year Perlman revealed he’d still be up for playing the character one last time. “Am I eager to do Hellboy 3? No, I’m 71 f-ing years old,” Perlman told The Independent at the time. “[But] we owe this to the fans, and we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion. So Guillermo, if you’re reading, I’m not done pounding you to get this f-ing thing done.”

Perlman’s Hellboy films have achieved cult status with people over the years. Director Guillermo del Toro has since gone on to become an acclaimed director. He earned an Academy Award for Best Director in 2018 for The Shape of Water. Who knows, maybe Perlman and del Toro will get to complete their passion project trilogy someday.