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'''''Hellboy II: The Golden Army''''' is an upcoming comic book film based on the fictional Dark Horse Comics character [[Hellboy]]. The film is directed by [[Guillermo del Toro]] and is a sequel to the 2004 film ''[[Hellboy (film)|Hellboy]]'', which del Toro also directed. [[Ron Perlman]] reprises his role as the titular character. The film is scheduled to be released on [[July 11]] [[2008]].
'''''Hellboy II: The Golden Army''''' is an upcoming comic book film based on the fictional Dark Horse Comics character [[Hellboy]]. The film is directed by [[Guillermo del Toro]] and is a sequel to the 2004 film ''[[Hellboy (film)|Hellboy]]'', which del Toro also directed. [[Ron Perlman]] reprises his role as the title character. The film is scheduled to be released on [[July 11]] [[2008]].


==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==

Revision as of 01:20, 10 July 2008

Template:Future film

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGuillermo del Toro
Written byGuillermo del Toro
Mike Mignola
Produced byLawrence Gordon
Lloyd Levin
Mike Richardson
Joe Roth
StarringRon Perlman
Doug Jones
Selma Blair
CinematographyGuillermo Navarro
Edited byBernat Vilaplana
Music byDanny Elfman
Distributed byUniversal Studios
Release dates
July 11, 2008
Running time
110 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75 million

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an upcoming comic book film based on the fictional Dark Horse Comics character Hellboy. The film is directed by Guillermo del Toro and is a sequel to the 2004 film Hellboy, which del Toro also directed. Ron Perlman reprises his role as the title character. The film is scheduled to be released on July 11 2008.

Synopsis

When a truce between humanity and an invisible realm of fantasy is broken, destruction threatens the Earth. A leader from the realm defies his bloodline and summons an army of creatures to lay waste. Hellboy (Ron Perlman) must confront the leader and his army, being backed by his team members from the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense: Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Johann Kraus. The team travels between Earth and the fantasy realm, battling fantastical creatures. Hellboy is faced with a choice, following the life he knows or pursuing a life of unknown destiny.[1]

Production

Development

In May 2004, following the release of Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy the previous month, a sequel was announced by Revolution Studios with del Toro returning to direct and Ron Perlman reprising his lead role as the titular character.[2] The director sought to create a film trilogy with the first sequel anticipated for release in 2006.[3] Revolution Studios planned to produce the film and distribute it through a deal with Columbia Pictures, but by 2006, Revolution had gone out of business. In August 2006, Universal Studios 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 Budapest, Hungary and London, England.[4]

Writing

Director Guillermo del Toro explored several concepts for the sequel, initially planning to recreate the classic versions of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man.[5] Later, he 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.[6] Comic book creator Mike Mignola, who worked with del Toro on the first film, 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."[7]

Filming

Del Toro released Pan's Labyrinth in 2006, and the film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, earning the director enough clout to begin production on Hellboy II.[8] Guillermo del Toro began filming Hellboy II in June 2007 in Budapest and concluded in December 2007.[9] The film was the first American production to shoot at Korda Studios in Hungary, then newly built outside Budapest.[10] The creature shop was led by the company Spectral Motion,[11] 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-sized replicas of the Golden Army.[12]

Cast

  • Ron Perlman as Hellboy: A demon who works for the government organization Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Guillermo del Toro described the character's dilemma in the sequel, "[He] has always fought on the side of humans, but this [destruction of fantasy] pushes his buttons to reconsider."[8] In the sequel, Hellboy is armed with an enormous new gun called "The Big Baby", which fires flare-like bullets.[13]
  • Selma Blair as Liz Sherman: A pyrokinetic member of BPRD 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."[14]
  • Doug Jones as Abe Sapien: An aquatic empath who works for BPRD 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 colors 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,[15] "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?"[16]
  • The Angel of Death: A female angel with androgynous 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."[15]
  • The Chamberlain: The door keeper for the Elfen king of the Underworld.[17]
  • Luke Goss as Prince Nuada: Goss was originally cast as the mutant vampire Jared Nomak in del Toro's 2002 film Blade II, and the director approached the actor to be cast in Hellboy II. Goss trained with swords and spears for six to seven months for his role.[18] He and Anna Walton also learned ancient Gaelic from a dialog coach for their lines.[19] 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... [He] is driven by an ethic that was instilled by the person he has problems [with] 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 incestuous 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."[18]
  • Anna Walton as Princess Nuala: Nuada's twin sister. She is described as "very light" while Nuada is "very dark", creating a yin and yang dynamic.[13] 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."[19]
  • Troll
  • Mr. Wink
  • Map Shop Owner
  • Fragglewump

Marketing

Character creator Mike Mignola and artist Francisco Ruiz Valesco wrote a prequel comic book that expanded on the sequel's prologue, explaining the origins of the Golden Army.[13]

Instead of television spots showing scenes from the film, humorous adverts were aired depicting Hellboy appearing on Ghost Hunters; being interviewed by James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio; playing video games with Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) from Chuck; visiting the set of American Gladiators; auditioning for a high school event; and hosting a public service announcement with a cat.[20]

Reception

Hellboy II has received generally favorable reviews from film critics.[21] As of July 9 2008, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 92% of critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average score of 7.1/10, based upon a sample of 24 reviews.[22]

Michael Rechtshaffen writing in The Hollywood Reporter said Hellboy II was an uncompromised vision of Guillermo 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.[23] John Anderson of Variety wrote of a rococo 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.[24] Drew McWeeny of Ain't it Cool News said the film was a visual "feast", and said it was an affirmation of the greatness that could be produced when a talented filmmaker was given enough support and artistic freedom.[25] Chuck Wilson of The Village Voice said that del Toro was on autopilot, but that he and his Pan's Labyrinth crew, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro in particular, staged the steady stream of action set-pieces expertly.[26] Mike Goodridge of Screen International wrote that del Toro had retained the B movie tone of the first film, saying the film managed to avoid the self-importance of The Incredible Hulk and the Batman film series and that del Toro was simply a "great storyteller" providing a "good time".[27] Alonso Duralde writing for msnbc.com said 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.[28]

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' "unimposing" villain.[24] Drew McWeeny said Goss' portrayal worked because of the film's moral ambiguity, saying the character's rage was shown to be "absolutely justified". He praised the entire ensemble as "tremendous", saying the removal of the first film's one "normal" character allowed Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones to take centre stage. He said Jones' character was "the heart of the film".[25] Mike Goodridge said the film carefully developed the character relationships,[27] and Chuck Wilson said that other than the title character's penchant for chewing cigars, he was otherwise "uninteresting".[26] Alonso Duralde wrote that the "sitcom-ish" character dilemmas were uninteresting, saying that Perlman and Jeffrey 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's in the first Hellboy film.[28] Michael Rechtshaffen called Perlman "terrific" and said Blair's brooding portrayal was effective.[23]

Michael Rechtshaffen concluded that Hellboy II was less focused than the first film, but that it played "faster and looser" and was a "wild ride".[23] In a positive review, John Anderson's main criticism was a sequence set in Ireland, which he called the least interesting and most conventional segment of the film.[24] Chuck Wilson said the film "[didn't] have much on its mind", but that it would amaze children and amuse adults,[26] and Alonso Duralde said Hellboy II was was "limp and unengaging".[28] Drew McWeeny surmised that it refined what worked in the original film, while discarding the elements that didn't, and called it "undeniable art" that examined adult ideas.[25] 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.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Hellboy II: The Golden Army". ComingSoon.net. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  2. ^ Stax (2004-05-14). "Hellboy II Confirmed!". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Linder, Brian (2004-09-02). "Guillermo, Blair Talk Hellboy Sequel". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Fleming, Michael (2006-08-03). "'Hellboy' in U turn". Variety. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Collura, Scott (2006-10-16). "Exclusive: Hellboy vs. the Universal Monsters?". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Douglas, Edward (2008-02-08). "Guillermo del Toro from the Set of Hellboy II". Superhero Hype!. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ George, Richard (2007-02-15). "Interview: Hellboy's Mike Mignola". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ a b Carroll, Larry (2007-02-13). "'Pan's Labyrinth' Duo Use Oscar Clout To Make Hellboy II Their Way". VH1. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Serwin, Andy (2007-08-28). "Hellboy 2 Update". WizardUniverse.com. Wizard Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Eichinger, Katja (2007-05-17). "'Hellboy 2' heads to Korda". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Moro, Eric (2007-11-02). "Set Visit: Hellboy II: The Golden Army". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Grey, Tobias (2007-11-16). "Budapest company bound for 'Hellboy'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c Carroll, Larry (2007-11-13). "'Hellboy II': Too-Hot-To-Hold Details From Hungarian Set ... Including Talk Of A Threequel". MTV.com. MTV. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Douglas, Edward (2008-02-01). "Selma Blair Returns as Liz Sherman". Superhero Hype!. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
  15. ^ a b Douglas, Edward (2008-02-05). "Hellboy II's Triple Threat, Doug Jones!". Superhero Hype!. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Lee, Patrick (2007-05-14). "Hellboy 2's Sapien Swims Into Love". Sci Fi Wire. Sci Fi Channel. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Doug Jones Exclusive Video Interview
  18. ^ a b Douglas, Edward (2008-02-01). "Luke Goss is Hellboy II's Prince Nuada". Superhero Hype!. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ a b Douglas, Edward (2008-02-01). "Anna Walton is Hellboy II's Princess Nuala". Superhero Hype!. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Who All Got to Meet Hellboy this Week?". Superhero Hype!. Coming Soon Media, L.P. 2008-07-03. Retrieved 2008-07-04. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  21. ^ "Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  22. ^ "Hellboy II: The Golden Army Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
  23. ^ a b c Michael Rechtshaffen (2008-06-29). "Film Review: Hellboy II: The Golden Army". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Company. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ a b c John Anderson (2008-06-29). "Hellboy II: The Golden Army Review". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ a b c Drew McWeeny (2008-06-30). "...Hellboy II Reviewed!". Ain't it Cool News. Retrieved 2008-07-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ a b c Chuck Wilson (2008-07-07). "Devil May Care About Hellboy II". The Village Voice. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2008-07-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ a b c Mike Goodridge (2008-06-30). "Hellboy II: The Golden Army review". Screen International. EMAP. Retrieved 2008-07-09. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ a b c Alonso Duralde (2008-07-08). "'Hellboy II' falls from grace". msnbc.com. NBC Universal / Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-07-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Further reading

  • Greenberger, Robert (2008). Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Novelization of the film. Dark Horse. ISBN 1593079540. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • Del Toro, Guillermo (2008). Hellboy II: The Art of the Movie. Dark Horse. ISBN 1593079648. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  • Del Toro, Guillermo (2008). The Monsters of Hellboy II. Dark Horse. ISBN 1593079656. {{cite book}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hellboy_II:_The_Golden_Army&oldid=224704673"