Actor Ian McShane (“Deadwood“, “American Gods“) has of Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. The veteran thespian will take on the role of the titular hero’s mentor, Trevor Bruttenholm, aka Professor Broom. He joins the previously-cast David Harbour (“Stranger Things“), who is our new Hellboy. This reboot, which hails from Millennium Films and Lionsgate, will be directed by Neil Marshall (The Descent, Centurion).
The new story sees the hero squaring off against a medieval sorceress who seeks to destroy humankind.
Professor Broom was previously brought to life by actors John Hurt (as the elder Broom) and Kevin Trainor (as a younger version in flashbacks). Both actors portrayed the role within the ’00s duology directed by Guillermo Del Toro. McShane makes a wonderful addition to this reboot and is shockingly almost the same age as the late John Hurt, being only two years younger than the latter. That’s no slight on Hurt and entirely a compliment to McShane, who still looks like he’s in his late 50s.
Production on this revamp is set to begin in the United Kingdom and Bulgaria this September. As a result, we should be hearing more casting (and hopefully story) information in the comings months. Here’s hoping that Marshall can also work a few of his regulars (i.e. Sean Pertwee, Liam Cunningham, Craig Conway, etc.) into the roster.
Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen is based upon the Hellboy comics by Mike Mignola. It is directed by Neil Marshall, from a screenplay by Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden, and Mike Mignola. The picture is produced by Larry Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Mignola, and Mike Richardson. The film stars David Harbour as “Anung Un Rama/Hellboy’ and Ian McShane as ‘Trevor Bruttenholm/Professor Broom’.
Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen is expected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2018.
