Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, had some praises for Brian Taylor, the director of the upcoming horror superhero film, Hellboy: The Crooked Man. The film is based on the Crooked Man limited series and follows the titular character as he tries to save a young man from a devil.
Adapting a comic book into a movie can ruffle some feathers if done the wrong way, but Mignola is confident in how Taylor is handling the story.
“I got the opportunity to co-write the screenplay, which meant Chris Golden and I, who’s also done Hellboy for a million years, we were able to put the pieces together in a way,” Mignola tells Nerd Reactor during San Diego Comic-Con 2024. “I thought that made it work. Rather than somebody else trying to second guess what a Hellboy story should be, we put it together, gave it to Brian, and then he didn’t ruin it, which is nice.”
“I mean, if any, if anything, I was pushing it more toward the original comic,” Taylor added.
“We had made changes in our screenplay, kind of anticipating what we thought a studio would say,” Mignola said. “And Brian said, ‘No, no, no. I want to do it more like the comic.’ So that’s something you like to hear.”
About Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Synopsis: In the 1950s, Rookie BPRD agent Bobbie Jo Song is tasked with delivering a spider to the BPRD, but must seek Hellboy’s help when things go awry. Together, they travel to Appalachia to take on the Crooked Man, who has been sent back to Earth to collect souls for the devil.
The film is written and directed by Brian Taylor (Crank) with Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden also serving as writers. It’s based on the comic by Mike Mignola.
The film stars Jack Kesy (12 Strong), Jefferson White (Yellowstone), Adeline Rudolph (Resident Evil), Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Leah McNamara (The Gentlemen), and Martin Bassindale (On Chesil Beach).
Hellboy: The Crooked Man will be coming out in the Fall of 2024 and is distributed in the U.S. by Ketchup Entertainment. The film is rated R.