Ron Perlman says he and longtime collaborator Guillermo Del Toro should film a third Hellboy movie

Ron Perlman spoke about working on a potential third Hellboy feature with Guillermo Del Toro during an interview with The Independent, which was published on Thursday.

During the conversation, the 71-year-old actor spoke about working on a concluding feature to a formerly planned trilogy of films with his longtime friend and collaborator.

The actor played the Dark Horse Comics character in two features that were released in 2004 and 2008, and his portrayal of the superhero was well received by both fans and critics.

Perlman began the interview by expressing that, although he still entertained the idea of making another feature centered on the character, his age would likely prevent him from performing any physically demanding actions on set.

‘Am I eager to do Hellboy 3? No, I’m 71 f***ing years old,’ he bluntly stated.

However, the Sons of Anarchy actor pointed out that, as a large following had developed around the previous two features, he wanted to give its fans an ending to the potential trilogy. 

‘We owe this to the fans, and we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion,’ he said.

He then noted that he had requested that Del Toro focus his efforts on a third movie in the past and that he would keep making his thoughts known in the future. 

‘So Guillermo, if you’re reading, I’m not done pounding you to get this f***ing thing done,’ he said.

Perlman went on to speak about how the 57-year-old director began their longstanding friendship by sending him a warm letter to ask him to appear in his debut feature. 

‘It was a letter you don’t get very often in life. The type of letter you save and when you have the money, you frame it,’ he recalled. 

The actor added: ‘Reading the letter, it was like I’d won a lifetime achievement award. I was an obscure character actor behind these masks. Nobody recognized me, let alone knew my name, but he did.’ 

Perlman then fondly stated that ‘I knew it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’ 

The two have collaborated on several films, including Blade II, Pacific Rim, and most recently, Nightmare Alley. 

The original Hellboy feature was centered on the Mike Mignola-created character of the same name and it was released in 2004. 

Also starring in the film were performers such as Selma Blair, Doug Jones and John Hurt, among others. 

The film received much critical acclaim upon its release, and Perlman was the recipient of praise for his portrayal of the titular character.

A sequel to the original feature, entitled Hellboy II: The Golden Army, was subsequently released in 2008.

Like the first movie, Hellboy II and the lead actor’s performance were both well-received by critics and fans alike.

Perlman, Del Toro and Mignola all teased the idea of a third feature centered around the character over the next few years, although the project entered development hell and the director has commented that its release would be unlikely.

A separate Hellboy film, which was directed by Neil Marshall and starred David Harbour, was later developed and released in 2019.

The feature was met with a generally negative critical reception upon its release.