Out in Budapest Guillermo del Toro has begun principal photography on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones are all back, and they’re joined by a bunch of new cast members, who are part of the sequel’s much more epic story.
I enjoyed Hellboy but didn’t fall for it as hard as some folks here. I’ve read a draft of the Hellboy 2 script and it blew me away: Guillermo has created a truly fantastical story featuring all manner of monsters and magic, with a massive sweep. There are action scenes in this film that eclipse anything from the first movie, and the relationships really feel like they’ve been perfected.
Here’s the official synopsis:
After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it’s up to the planet’s toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it’s time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).
Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development — pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann — the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who’s accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.
Hopefully in the weeks to come we’ll have a first person look at what Guillermo’s up to in Budapest; in the meantime I want to wish him the best of luck. Compared with his vision for this film, the budget is small, but I know that Guillermo can pull it off and make this one spectacular.