If the Hellboy/BPRD franchise was in my hands

September 2nd, 2008

A little while ago MC wrote a piece on how he would improve the films Last Action Hero and Terminator 3. He makes some valid points about both films and if you have an interest you should go and have a read of his ideas.

Taking this idea and running with it I’ve been giving a huge amount of thought to Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. You see I find the film barely passable, it was reasonable enough to divert your attention for an hour or so but it never really feels like it’s doing anything more than scratching the surface of a good Hellboy movie. Is it better than the first? I don’t know, a lot of people are saying it is, but then a lot of people didn’t care for the first one.

I didn’t mind the first one, this second one doesn’t really generate enough spark for me to make a real decision as a result I’m probably more apathetic towards it.

So if I was the man in charge of bringing Hellboy to other media outside of comic books I would certainly have approached it differently (this is taking up the mantle after the first film):

A BPRD television series

The BPRD have such a wonderful group of characters that all deserve story lines and fleshing out that no movie could really do them justice, not in an ensemble cast and since I don’t think they could each individually carry a film this is the best option.

The key here is to follow suit of the comic book series and have the BPRD series focus on the supporting cast, Liz, Abe, Johann, Roger etc. The approach to the show would be one of individual standalone episodes, mini-movies each one at first bringing the individual characters out in front (not origins as such) and then follow an X-Files season one monster/myth of the week.

Hellboy would make infrequent guest appearances for key mythology episodes but would essentially be a only a guest character, saving him for the big movie.

The other thing I would have done in the approach to the series is remove the Del Toro. I like him, I think he’s visionary, I also think that he high jacked the Hellboy look and feel. It’s too Pan’s Labyrinth and not enough Mignola. Write the whole season out before filming anything. I would want to know where the series was going and filter stuff through it for the second season and the sequel film.

Hellboy 2

The essential storyline is fine, I’m happy to keep the whole concept of The Golden Army in fact given seeding throughout the series the villains within the film could have been given a whole lot more depth and urgency.

They were fine as baddies go, just needed more storyline, more motivation.

I would drop the humour, or at least tone down the Manning character, he was a buffoon in this and the BPRD agents all incompetent. I would also drop the Liz romance too, I don’t know, I just didn’t get interested in it.

The cast though would remain untouched, they are all so perfect in their roles that to change those would be a travesty and in my mind impossible.

Theme music for the BPRD series opening sequence: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Red Right Hand - not the cover version featured in the first one.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Share and Enjoy:

9 Comments

Sarah September 2nd, 2008
I think I prefer the 1st movie than the 2nd but yeah… it’s like the same level or something. I was entertained tho. :]

What did u think about Abe’s parts? Lol. He fell inlove~~~

I’d like a BPRD TV series.

Sarahs last blog post..Spring is here!

[Reply to this comment]
By Lee on September 3rd, 2008 | Reply
LOL yeah I don’t know how I feel about Abe’s romance, it appeared a little forced.

I don’t think the film is bad as such, just not really good.

[Reply to this comment]
arkonbey September 2nd, 2008
I found HB2:TGA to be quite fun, but that’s neither here nor there.

A BPRD show would be fun, but I don’t think it would catch on. I’d WANT it to catch on, but it wouldn’t. I loved Special Unit Two, a proto BPRD ,and it died far too soon. The Middleman is treading the same boards, but it is trying to hard to seem un-serious (the comic it’s based on is SO worth reading, though).

With the cost of effects, a BPRD show would fall quickly into franchise mode to keep paying the bills and lose all character development; which is what really makes HB. Perhaps a BPRD show with a set 3-year story arc would work.

arkonbeys last blog post..Comic Poll

[Reply to this comment]
By Lee on September 3rd, 2008 | Reply
You’ve got a little background for the characters already established so there would hopefully be some fan base there.

I guess it would be as expensive as any of the Star Trek series. But I can’t stress it enough that it has to be planned out completely no matter how long it ran.

[Reply to this comment]
Rol September 3rd, 2008
I was starting to think I was the only one! I found HB2 visually impressive (more so than the first one), and I thought some bits were fun (the Manilow sequence - so I guess I go against your idea of dropping the comedy), but overall - as with HB itself - it just didn’t grip me. I wasn’t ever excited or concerned for the fate of the protagonists, and though visually Pearlman’s Hellboy is spot on, I just don’t find him a strong enough presence for the lead role. I do like your idea of a BRPD TV series though.

Rols last blog post..Craven in Beverley

[Reply to this comment]
By Lee on September 3rd, 2008 | Reply
I think some comedy, comedic situations such as the Manilow sequence is great, but the Manning character was never once serious.

But yeah the problem simply is there is no urgency there and a lot of little unnecessary stuff going on.

[Reply to this comment]
Arjan September 3rd, 2008
Hmm I will probably still go see this one in the cinema.
So..why didn’t you direct movies again?

Arjans last blog post..My ‘backyard’: thanks neighbours..

[Reply to this comment]
By Lee on September 3rd, 2008 | Reply
I think it’s worthwhile probably seeing this at the cinema, simply because it does look really impressive.

[Reply to this comment]
Arjan September 15th, 2008
saw HB2 yesterday. Awesome watch in the cinema. The one thing that got a - is the incredibly loud PREDICTABLE that hung around the fait of the prince and his sis.

Arjans last blog post..True Blood {main theme}

[Reply to this comment]