Ron Perlman Hints HEL​​LBOY 3 With Guillermo Del Toro Could Still Happen and He's Ready to Return

Ron Perlman may be 76 years old, but he's still ready to strap on the Right Hand of Doom and finish what he started with Guillermo del Toro. The actor recently offered a surprisingly hopeful update on the possibility of Hellboy 3, making it clear that he hasn't given up on completing the trilogy.

Three actors have now played Hellboy in live-action movies, but Perlman's version remains the definitive take on the character for many fans. His performances in 2004's Hellboy and 2008's Hellboy II: The Golden Army helped bring Mike Mignola's comic book creation to life in a way that audiences still love.

Unfortunately, the planned third movie never happened, leaving some major storylines unresolved. While Perlman has previously suggested that his time playing the character was over, his latest comments indicate that he's still willing to return, provided del Toro is involved.

Speaking with Deadline, Perlman explained why he continues to fight for a proper conclusion to the original films:

"I’ve said so much about this and pissed off enough people, but I’ll say it again for you: the original movies were meant to be a trilogy. In 'Hellboy II,' we left off at a very awkward moment where the Liz Sherman character is pregnant with twins, and none of the promises of Hellboy being summoned into existence to destroy the world has been addressed.

“That would all have been in the third film, and I’ll always advocate for the making of the third film. I’m not interested in doing any other version of Hellboy other than finishing the trilogy with Guillermo [Del Toro]. It would be so epic. Like a Greek epic.

“Hubris, hamartia, destiny, nature vs nurture, it would be such an adventure. I’m 76 now, and if he comes to me and I’m 86, we’ll still do the mother[frick]er."

You have to love that commitment! Perlman believes there's an incredible story left to tell, and the idea of exploring Hellboy's destiny while dealing with the arrival of his children could make for one hell of a final chapter.

What makes his latest comments even more interesting is what happened when he was asked whether he'd actually spoken with del Toro about making the third movie. His response was simply: "No comment."

That's certainly more intriguing than a flat-out no. It doesn't confirm that anything is happening, but it leaves open the possibility that the two have discussed returning to the franchise.

The bigger question is whether del Toro would actually want to make another Hellboy movie. The filmmaker, who recently directed Frankenstein, has moved on to plenty of other projects since leaving the franchise behind.

Meanwhile, the two attempts to reboot Hellboy without him failed to connect with critics and audiences. Neither managed to capture what made the original movies so entertaining, which only makes the prospect of Perlman and del Toro reuniting more appealing.

However, getting the original creative team back together could prove complicated. During a previously intereview, Mignola discussed his relationship with del Toro and whether they might collaborate on another film.

"Being able to look back now, I'm very happy about the time I spent with him. We had some adventures, and I just think we've both moved on in different directions. When you work on movies, especially if you're on the movie set, there's so much intensity day in, day out with these people — with the actors, with the director — and then when it's over, it's just over.

“It's a very strange feeling [where] you just go, 'I thought we were friends for life, but I’ll never actually see you again,' and, unfortunately, I think that's kind of where del Toro and I are. He's just on another planet. I'm very glad I got to know him and work with him back when working on a movie was five or six guys, and not the career he has now. But we still speak or email occasionally."

Mignola and del Toro have clearly gone their separate ways creatively, although they still maintain occasional contact. Of course, there's currently no confirmation that Hellboy 3 is moving forward, and Perlman's enthusiasm doesn't necessarily mean del Toro is interested in returning.

Still, it's good to know that Perlman hasn't abandoned the idea. There's unfinished business with Hellboy's destiny, and it's a shame fans never got to see how it would have played out.

I’m sorry to say it, but I seriously doubt Hellboy 3 will ever happen, but I love that Perlman is willing to play Hellboy well into his 80s if that's what it takes.