Hellboy reboot heading to Lionsgate

It's looking increasingly likely that the new Hellboy Reboot will be picked up by Lionsgate. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the production company is in final negations to acquire the comic book adaption.

The film will be called Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, and will star David Harbour of Stranger Things fame as the wisecracking demonic being. Neil Marshall, who is perhaps best known for his horror film The Descent and for directing two of the best episodes of Game of Thrones, will be at the helm of the reboot.

If Lionsgate were to take over, this would mean that every film in the Hellboy Franchise will have been released by a different studio. Hellboy was made by Revolution Studios and released by Sony in 2004, while its sequel, The Golden Army, was made by Universal and released in 2008.

Both those entries were directed by Guillermo Del Toro and the titular hero was played by Ron Perlman. Perlman and Del Toro had wanted to return to do a third installment but budgetary issues held them back and the project was sidelined. The producers eventually decided that a fresh take was the best way to go.

Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer and artists Mike Mignola. A cynical but kindhearted demon, the character fights off Nazis and fellow demons alike for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.

Shooting for Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen is expected to begin this autumn.