Guillermo Del Toro talks bit of Hellboy 2

[Carlo Comicus]

from www.comicus.it

about the filming:

In any good day you had 4-5 or many more of the main actors in prosthetic make up. That alone robs them of 6 hours and therefore you ONLY get them for a few hours to shoot each day. Really bad... Then again- thanks to their suits, make up etc- they cannot see or hear or speak properly, so you have a blind Fishman a blind/deaf Gas man and a red guy with all sorts of itches stumbling around on the set, which is, most of the time, full of FX or smoke or rain etc. 12 hours exposed to sub zero temperatures, oil smoke or freezing rain. In other words... The usual for me.


About prince Nuada (Luke Goss), Hellboy and Nuala:

I wrote the part with Luke in mind and he delivered all the way. We are very obsessive about this character. I think the Prince is a great villian because he is VERY dangerous and a great fighter but he also happens to be a strong moral stand on what he does and why he does it. Nuala is the opposite of her brother. She is serenity, he is war.
... I identify with him 100% he has an extraordinary job but he has a workman mentality about it. He struggles with his inner demons and he fights against what others see as his destiny: "What he was meant to be"

About a third Hellboy movie:

..I dont know... yes, we have a great idea if that happens... a very dramatic end to Hellboy's saga. The end of days and all that... but Jeez.... right now- I dont have the energy to even dream about it.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Haha, nice.

 

[A Dark Knight]

I hope this movie does well enough so that Del Toro will do a 3rd film, I love HB and I hope he does not wait to long if he gets the greenlight to do a 3rd, Perlman is around 60 now and I don't want to see a HB film without him being in it.

 

[bubbadoom]

While I would hate to see a Hellboy Movie with out Ron, I do think that Clancy Brown would make a good alternative HB.

 

[A Dark Knight]

While I would hate to see a Hellboy Movie with out Ron, I do think that Clancy Brown would make a good alternative HB.

Ya know, I didn't even think of him. I would just like to see Ron back because he has played him twice now and if they get lucky enough to do a 3rd film I would like to see the whole cast and director back to finish it off they way that they want to.

 

[bubbadoom]

Oh, I agree, Ron IS Hellboy, but as you said, he is pushing 60 while Clancy is still a few years away from 50! If a sequel starts up shortly after part 2 comes out next summer, then I am sure Ron would do it. If they take 4 years like this one did, then I am not so sure...

 

[A Dark Knight]

Oh, I agree, Ron IS Hellboy, but as you said, he is pushing 60 while Clancy is still a few years away from 50! If a sequel starts up shortly after part 2 comes out next summer, then I am sure Ron would do it. If they take 4 years like this one did, then I am not so sure...

I am hoping that HB2 does well enough that we get to see a 3rd film, and like you said Ron is HB 100%, but if it is another 3-4 years before they even start filming then I am not so sure Ron would do it, he will be in his mid 60s and may say no, but I would sure hope he would, he is great at it.

Clancy Brown is under 50? I hate to say it but I thought he was older than that LOL, sorry Clancy t:

 

[TheVileOne]

I think it's a miracle this one got made considering what happened with the first film. This really is Hellboy's last chance to make an impression. Though I hope they aren't expecting much bigger money than the first one.

 

[Hellmistress]

I think it's a miracle this one got made considering what happened with the first film. This really is Hellboy's last chance to make an impression. Though I hope they aren't expecting much bigger money than the first one.

The problem with the last one was poor marketing. Universal appear to be waaaaay more on the ball with this one, and hopefully the release pattern will be MUCH tighter than the last. The teaser seems to have been a big hit, and the subject is quirky enough to attract the punters. Despite the poor marketing the first film did well enough, and scored big on DVD. Luckily, with GdT in charge, the quality won't drop and PAN'S LABYRINTH's rep certainly won't hurt.

We'll see, I guess, but it will do just fine I have no doubt.

HM

 

[A Dark Knight]

^ I hope you are right, I want this to do well so we get to see another, I agree that the first film did ok at the BO (IMO it should have done better) and it didn't have a huge budget (around $60 million) and as you said it was huge on DVD so it would have made money down the line.

Again with HB2 the budget is not that big ($72 million) and the reaction to the teaser trailer has been very good so hopefully this will make it a hit this summer.

But it does have two things going against it, the July 4th opening of Will Smith's Hancock and July 18th The Dark Knight, it is in a tough spot which could hurt it, I liked it's chances a lot better when it was going to open August 1st.

Still I can't wait to see it and am hoping for the best.

 

[TheVileOne]

People criticized me when I said they did a bad job with the marketing before the movie came out.

Then the movie was NOT that great. It failed to really live up to what Hellboy was. Guillermo Del Toro is so in love with this material and his movie, but Pan's Labryinth and even Blade 2 were much better movies. I think he was just way too close to Hellboy to make better decisions. I hope that's changed now.

72 million is still more than the first one, and it's more than what it grossed in the US the first time around. It's not a budget to sneeze at for such an obscure character and material. The movie does NOT have big names. The biggest name in the movie is probably Selma Blair and Jeffrey Tambor. And they are not big stars.

Still think Diesel could've made a good Hellboy as well .

 

[Hellmistress]

The thing is, Mike's been involved every inch of the way and had a lot to do with the first film - and is doing the same this time around. He was and is very happy with G's version of Hellboy. This film has a tighter script and a great storyline which is multi-layered and also leaves it open for a third film if it gets green-lit, without compromising this one's stand-alone status.

The budget, if you include inflation, is around the same as the last one, which was $66 million - this one is $72 million. And it looks waaaay more expensive. With decent marketing it should do better. But, as already mentioned, there is the problem of dates - I'm not happy with July 11th for obvious reasons, but unless Universal has a wee coniption and puts it back to August 1st, we're going to have to deal with it. I would have loved to have seen HBII hit Comic Con next year before the release date - the anticipation would have been stupendous.

Deisel would have been a TERRIBLE Hellboy. The poor baby can't act his way out of a paper bag, let alone through extreme prosthetics.

HM

 

[TheVileOne]

The thing is, Mike's been involved every inch of the way and had a lot to do with the first film - and is doing the same this time around. He was and is very happy with G's version of Hellboy. This film has a tighter script and a great storyline which is multi-layered and also leaves it open for a third film if it gets green-lit, without compromising this one's stand-alone status.

So Mike Mignola is very close it as well and he's best buddies with Del Toro. He's not going to say much against it.

And after the first movie they are very lucky this one was able to happen. There was no rush or excitement to make a sequel following the first movie from Revolution. It was starting to look like The Hulk and The Punisher.

The budget, if you include inflation, is around the same as the last one, which was $66 million - this one is $72 million. And it looks waaaay more expensive. With decent marketing it should do better. But, as already mentioned, there is the problem of dates - I'm not happy with July 11th for obvious reasons, but unless Universal has a wee coniption and puts it back to August 1st, we're going to have to deal with it. I would have loved to have seen HBII hit Comic Con next year before the release date - the anticipation would have been stupendous.

Considering how much Del Toro pinches the pennies, I don't really buy into that.
July 11th is DEATH for this movie. August before the DBZ **** would be better. This movie will not survive that release date.

Deisel would have been a TERRIBLE Hellboy. The poor baby can't act his way out of a paper bag, let alone through extreme prosthetics.

HM

I think you are just biased. People didn't say this crap about Diesel when he was doing movies like Private Ryan, IRON GIANT, and Boiler Room.

I love Ron Perlman and everything, but he's pretty old, not sure how he will be able to do what they want for a third movie, especially if it takes this long to get made AGAIN. That is if there is a third movie.

 

[Hellmistress]

So Mike Mignola is very close it as well and he's best buddies with Del Toro. He's not going to say much against it.

Believe me, Mike and Guillermo will happily disagree with one another - neither of them are shy about nay-saying something, and if Mike doesn't like something he says so in no uncertain tones.

And after the first movie they are very lucky this one was able to happen. There was no rush or excitement to make a sequel following the first movie from Revolution. It was starting to look like The Hulk and The Punisher.

The script had been commissioned, green lit and written when the hoo-ha between Sony and Revolution broke out. It just happened at the wrong time. Such is life.

Considering how much Del Toro pinches the pennies, I don't really buy into that.

But Guillermo isn't a tight-wad - he spends the money where it's needed most, with an Oscar-winning DP in Guillermo Navarro, a crew he trusts and who are among the best in the business, a cast that would do anything he asks of them, and some of the most innovative and original designers of sets and creature creation to be found anywhere. He doesn't burden himself with second units, expensive 'names' (he chooses the right people for the parts instead of bowing to studio pressure to hire pretty-but-useless so-called A-Listers), or clutter the place up with countless studio execs. And he does a lot of the editing, and has even been seen laying out the programmes for screenings himself. He's very hands-on. And a stubborn son-of-a-*****.

July 11th is DEATH for this movie. August before the DBZ **** would be better. This movie will not survive that release date.

Don't be such a nay-sayer. Of course it will survive. How well, is anyone's guess, but it has some decent publicity this time around and people know what to expect since the first film. It was a totally unknown quantity in 2004 - now it has a fan base and the back story is done, so now we can get on with telling a crackingly good, fun story. You really oughtn't be such a doom merchant. They said no one would want to see PAN'S LABYRINTH in American cinemas because it was a Spanish language film. Some folks stayed away for that very reason - more fool them - but it didn't stop the film from being an Oscar-winning masterpiece that did extremely well world-wide.

I think you are just biased. People didn't say this crap about Diesel when he was doing movies like Private Ryan, IRON GIANT, and Boiler Room.

I love Ron Perlman and everything, but he's pretty old, not sure how he will be able to do what they want for a third movie, especially if it takes this long to get made AGAIN. That is if there is a third movie.

Pshaw. I thought Vin Diesel was a crap actor long before I ever heard of HELLBOY. The only thing I ever liked him in was PITCH BLACK. And all he had to do in that one was scowl.

Ron Perlman was born to play Hellboy.

There are hopes of a third film, and although this is the so-called 'underdog' movie of the summer, it will be a far better film than an awful lot of the overblown blockbusters hitting the screen lately.

Really, Vile ... you shouldn't be such a misery. And don't tell me you're just being a realist - I'm a realist too, and I know the film is up against the 'big boys,' but I don't care. I think quality will be on its side and also the fact that it is fun, quirky, incredibly original and interesting with a great big dash of darkness about it.

I can't wait.

HM

 

[TheVileOne]

Believe me, Mike and Guillermo will happily disagree with one another - neither of them are shy about nay-saying something, and if Mike doesn't like something he says so in no uncertain tones.

Sure he does. He just didn't do it enough for the first movie.

The script had been commissioned, green lit and written when the hoo-ha between Sony and Revolution broke out. It just happened at the wrong time. Such is life.

That's one version of the story.

But Guillermo isn't a tight-wad - he spends the money where it's needed most, with an Oscar-winning DP in Guillermo Navarro, a crew he trusts and who are among the best in the business, a cast that would do anything he asks of them, and some of the most innovative and original designers of sets and creature creation to be found anywhere. He doesn't burden himself with second units, expensive 'names' (he chooses the right people for the parts instead of bowing to studio pressure to hire pretty-but-useless so-called A-Listers), or clutter the place up with countless studio execs. And he does a lot of the editing, and has even been seen laying out the programmes for screenings himself. He's very hands-on. And a stubborn son-of-a-*****.

Stop being so defensive. I'm not saying he's a cheap bastard, but he's good at spreading the money around and getting the most out of it. So for him this is a pretty huge budget. This is a bigger budget than Blade 2 and Hellboy easily for him.

Don't be such a nay-sayer. Of course it will survive. How well, is anyone's guess, but it has some decent publicity this time around and people know what to expect since the first film. It was a totally unknown quantity in 2004 - now it has a fan base and the back story is done, so now we can get on with telling a crackingly good, fun story. You really oughtn't be such a doom merchant. They said no one would want to see PAN'S LABYRINTH in American cinemas because it was a Spanish language film. Some folks stayed away for that very reason - more fool them - but it didn't stop the film from being an Oscar-winning masterpiece that did extremely well world-wide.

The fanbase for Hellboy is NOT that big. I'm not a nay-sayer at all, just a realist. I'm not being a doom merchant either. I don't remember anyone saying that about Pan's Labyrinth. Especially when Del Toro's last foreign language movie was a highly acclaimed film. Pan's Labyrinth was also a much better movie then Hellboy and looked a lot more like the actual Hellboy comics than the first movie did.

Pshaw. I thought Vin Diesel was a crap actor long before I ever heard of HELLBOY. The only thing I ever liked him in was PITCH BLACK. And all he had to do in that one was scowl.

That's fine and dandy, but you also probably think John Myers from the first one was a good actor.

Ron Perlman was born to play Hellboy.

I really think he's great as Hellboy, but I still didn't feel after the first movie that he WAS Hellboy. Maybe it will be different with this one, but this isn't a role he can constantly play at his age.

There are hopes of a third film, and although this is the so-called 'underdog' movie of the summer, it will be a far better film than an awful lot of the overblown blockbusters hitting the screen lately.

That remains to be seen. What we've seen so far looks promising though.

Really, Vile ... you shouldn't be such a misery. And don't tell me you're just being a realist - I'm a realist too, and I know the film is up against the 'big boys,' but I don't care. I think quality will be on its side and also the fact that it is fun, quirky, incredibly original and interesting with a great big dash of darkness about it.

I've been a Hellboy fan for years, but that's not going to cloud my mind or delude me about this movie or the first one. The first one was not that great.

 

[Hellmistress]

That's one version of the story.

That's the only version of the story.

Stop being so defensive. I'm not saying he's a cheap bastard, but he's good at spreading the money around and getting the most out of it.

Erm ... didn't I just say the same thing?

So for him this is a pretty huge budget. This is a bigger budget than Blade 2 and Hellboy easily for him.

BLADE II: around $54 million in 2000; HELLBOY: $66 million in 2003; HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY; $72 million in 2007. If you account for inflation in the intervening years, the budgets are near as dammit the same. And that's not my estimation - that's Guillermo's. I know, because he told me.

The fanbase for Hellboy is NOT that big. I'm not a nay-sayer at all, just a realist. I'm not being a doom merchant either. I don't remember anyone saying that about Pan's Labyrinth. Especially when Del Toro's last foreign language movie was a highly acclaimed film. Pan's Labyrinth was also a much better movie then Hellboy and looked a lot more like the actual Hellboy comics than the first movie did.

I'm not talking about the comic fan base - I'm talking about the movie fan base. And as someone who has dealt with countless fan enquiries and so forth over the past four years, there are a LOT of fans out there. Plus the DVD did very well. And, of course, the PAN'S LABYRINTH connection won't do any harm at all.

That's fine and dandy, but you also probably think John Myers from the first one was a good actor.

He's at least as good as Vin Diesel.

I really think he's great as Hellboy, but I still didn't feel after the first movie that he WAS Hellboy. Maybe it will be different with this one, but this isn't a role he can constantly play at his age.

Well, Mike thinks he is and that's good enough for me. And I don't think anyone could carry the character like Ron can. However, that being said, Ron's age is a limitation. He's 57 going on 58 in April, and this film was hard on him. Hell, it was hard on Doug, and he's 10 years younger. But Mike and GdT have both said that without Ron, there will be no more Hellboy movies. So, we'll have to see, won't we?

I've been a Hellboy fan for years, but that's not going to cloud my mind or delude me about this movie or the first one. The first one was not that great.

Well I haven't, so the comparison to me is really moot. I love the comics now, but I didn't know who the hell Hellboy was to begin with. So my mind is hardly clouded. I thought the first one, flawed though it is, has a huge amount of heart and a soul as big as its hero. It was hampered by having to tell a back story on a comic character that - as you pointed out, and a situation of which I am very aware - isn't mainstream to say the least. That being said, it was quirky enough and fun enough to hit the hearts of a lot of fans tired of dark and angsty comic-book heroes in big, blowsy, overblown extravaganzas. This one is free of those limitations and the story is bigger, more epic, with a very Mignola feel about it.

I think the difference in our viewpoints is that for me, the glass is half full.

HM