The more I hear about Lionsgate and Millennium’s reboot of the ‘Hellboy’ franchise with ‘Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen,’, the more excited I become! Now the filmmakers have just added one of my favorite actors. Ian McShane (‘American Gods’,’Deadwood’) has just joined the cast in one of the most important roles as he’ll play Hellboy’s adoptive father figure, Professor Trevor Broom Bruttenholm. Director Neil Marshall (‘The Descent’) sure knows how to pick them with McShane already joining David Harbour (‘Stranger Things’) who will be in the leading role.

If you aren’t a fan of the comics or have forgotten the lore from Guillermo del Toro’s films then it should also be noted that Broom was originally played by John Hurt and was the head of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). His character is the reason Hellboy ended up being rescued from evil forces and fighting for humanity instead of trying to fulfill the prophecy that he will bring about the end of the world.

We still don’t know much about the film but the latest news also informs us a bit about the Blood Queen as “The new story sees the hero squaring off against a medieval sorceress who seeks to destroy humankind.”

There is still no word if we’ll be getting Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, or any of the other characters Mike Mignola has created over the years. However, if their plan is to make a bit more of a cinematic universe with Hellboy being the center of spinoff films it would make sense to see a few familiar names pop up sooner than later.

Are you happy to hear that Ian McShane will be playing Professor Broom in the ‘Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen’? Do you feel this his usual harsher style of acting will fit well with a character that tends to be a bit more withdrawn and scholarly? Share your thoughts below!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter