‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man‘ has been acquired by Ketchup Entertainment for worldwide release. Filming started in March 2023 in Bulgaria and concluded in May. On Instagram, creator Mike Mignola shared the wrap update and wrote, “So they’ve wrapped principal photography on the new Hellboy movie. I wasn’t on set for this one, but they have been nice enough to send me dailies and I have to say I have loved what I’ve been seeing. If fans have been waiting for a Hellboy film that is actually an adaptation of one of my stories, I think they are finally going to get one. Congratulations to director Brian Taylor and a really wonderful cast, and to co-writer Chris Golden, who did so much to figure out how to give the studio what they wanted and still keep true to the heart and soul of The Crooked Man, my favorite of the Hellboy stories.”
The film is directed by Brian Taylor from a screenplay by Mignola and Chris Golden, adapted from the limited series written by Mignola. The film stars Jack Kesy as Hellboy/Anung Un Rama, Jefferson White as Tom Ferrell, and Adeline Rudolph as Bobbie Jo Song.
In a statement, Ketchup Entertainment CEO Gareth West said, “We are very excited by this latest acquisition, this film holds a special place in the hearts of fans worldwide, and we are committed to preserving and building its legacy as we bring the film to fans and new audiences.” West added, “We are confident that our collaboration with Jeffrey Greenstein and the exceptional team at Millennium Media will enable us to achieve just that.”
What is the Plot of Hellboy: The Crooked Man?
In the 1950s, Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent, stranded in rural Appalachia, discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man.
Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola Confirms R-Rated Horror Approach for ‘The Crooked Man
Speaking to Variety, Mignola revealed that ‘The Crooked Man’ is a fully R-rated horror genre. He said, “His intention is to make a horror movie, so that’ll be nice.” Mignola added, “That’ll be interesting. I read the new draft of the screenplay yesterday, and yes, it is definitely R. It’s the first Hellboy script that I read, and I went, ‘Oh, it’s a horror movie,’ which is what I wanted. Taylor does not have a reputation as a horror movie director. But, so far, we’ve had two horror movie directors make Hellboy movies, and we’ve never gotten a horror movie.”
The film is produced by Millennium Media in partnership with Dark Horse Entertainment and Campbell Grobman Film. It’s the first movie from Millennium’s collaboration with Telepool, owned by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Producers include Mike Richardson from Dark Horse Entertainment, along with Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Les Weldon, Rob Van Norden, and Yariv Lerner from Millennium Media. Sam Schulte is also a co-producer on behalf of Millennium Media.
The film’s executive producers include Mignola, Millennium Media’s Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Boaz Davidson, and Tanner Mobley, Telepool’s Michael Müllner and Julia Müntefering, Campbell Grobman Films’ Lati Grobman and Christa Campbell, as well as Ketchup Entertainment’s Gareth West, Artur Galstian, and Vahan Yepremyan.
Ketchup Entertainment’s acquisition of ‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ adds to their growing entertainment portfolio, following the release of Ben Affleck’s ‘Hypnotic’ in May 2023.
‘Hellboy: The Crooked Man’ release date is TBA.
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