Hellboy vs. the Universal Monsters

[Poe Ghostal]

http://movies.ign.com/articles/739/739203p1.html


"I must say that I'm having a great experience right now at Universal, because I find that their understanding of Hellboy as a possibility is so great," del Toro says. "My hope is that if everything goes well and we continue [the franchise], Hellboy can start fighting the Universal monsters! I would love to see that."

It's enough to make a fanboy faint. And del Toro also adds that he's not talking about designing new versions of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, and the rest of Universal's stable of characters, ala Van Helsing, but rather recreating the classic Karloff/Lugosi/Chaney Jr./etc. classics of yesteryear.

"I would love to [go with the classic versions], I would love to," laughs the director, who says that Frankenstein and the Creature from the Black Lagoon are his favorites. "[Hellboy creator Mike] Mignola, when we closed the deal with Universal, we both looked at each other and just said, 'Frankenstein!'"

Del Toro emphasizes that while the topic has come up with Universal, this is all just spit-balling for now and there is no definitive plan on the table… yet. And if the project doesn't happen in the live-action Hellboy films, then there are other options.

"We talked briefly about this because I think it is such a great possibility for the future, to do that either in the animated universe or in another universe we create just for that," he says. "I remember seeing the test footage for the animated Frankenstein they were making years ago. Black & white… it is just spine-tingling. Your hair stands on an end because it was of such beauty."

[Sparky]

I can't wait for Abbott and Costello Meet Hellboy.

[gdeo]

How cool would that be.I could see it already...Abe Sapien MeetsThe Creature from the Black Lagoon.Bride of Hellboy.Son of Hellboy.Bride of the Son of Hellboy..the possibilities are endless.:D

[Tad]

I can't wait for Abbott and Costello Meet Hellboy.

Now that I can get excited about!

[Poe Ghostal]

Say what you will, I'd love to see Hellboy mix it up with Frankenstein's monster or the Gillman...

[Petersen]

Seems there is enough existing Hellboy story that could be told that a crossover just seems indulgent for the sake of being indulgent.

I'd rather see a movie that tells the story of the Frankenstien of the Hellboy universe: Roger, or save any cool Lagoon stuff for Abe.

[Poe Ghostal]

Seems there is enough existing Hellboy story that could be told that a crossover just seems indulgent for the sake of being indulgent.

I'd rather see a movie that tells the story of the Frankenstien of the Hellboy universe: Roger, or save any cool Lagoon stuff for Abe.MAN you people are diehards around here. It's like a Tolkien literary forum. Mike and GDT are thrilled by the prospect of having Hellboy interact with the classic Universal Monsters, and I'm with them.

[Petersen]

I just want to see some of the backlog of material make it to the screen is all And I'd rather see that than the classic Universal Monsters with Hellboy.

One of the reasons Moore's LoEG works it that it's a fresh take on the existing characters. And it is made to fit into the same world. Each of the Leauge have been redefined..I'm sure Robert Howard never planned on Alan Quartermain becoming an opium addict.

Usualy I'm not a fan of crossovers in general, so it's not just a Mignola-purist thing. And for the record, I am a huge fan of chocolate and Peanut butter together. oh AND I agree with the bennifits of leaving Tom Bombadill out of the LotR movies.

[jackups]

I like the udea I was thrilled to learn Hb 2 had been picked up by Universal the home of Monsters.But I think that there are way better storys to be tolded from the comics ,like a comic like wake the devil would be so cool, plus Rofger would be nicer to see than Ol Frank:D

[MackSztaba]

That would be awesome!

[Mike Cross]

The only HB crossover i've ever bought/read/enjoyed, was Batman/HB/Starman..Painkiller Jane? What the hell?

[Elegance Liberty]

Eh, I'm setting myself up for flames here, but that's not something I really want to see happen. =/

Unless they find some way to pull it off without having it end up like crap, like most cross-company crossovers are.

Now if Mike were to come up with a film based on the Monsters and NOT a crossover, *then* that would be the coolest thing ever.

[Poe Ghostal]

Fair enough.

But, now that they have the relationship with Universal, what if they did something like this: an Elseworlds-style graphic novel re-imagining Hellboy's origin in the era of Frankenstein or Dracula and then having him play the role of, say, Van Helsing? Written by MM and drawn by, let's say, Gary Gianni.

Wow...the idea of a Victorian Hellboy is so cool I can't extrapolate the concept further at the moment.

[Elegance Liberty]

Heh. Sorry to be the only dissenter.

But seriously, I really can't wrap my brain around the idea of a Hellboy/Universal Monsters crossover on film. Maybe a one-shot comic would be better suited for this kinda thing, I dunno.

Actually, I guess something like this would be better suited for the Halloween Horror Nights they have down at Universal Studios in Florida (no clue if the Hollywood place does it too), like a stage show or something.


...Then again, that might be worse.

[Tad]

I think Guillermo was mostly kidding. He was laughing through out. As to comic versions, I'd rather have new "real Hellboy" stories than Elseworlds versions.

[Neil Hill]

I'd rather have new "real Hellboy" stories than Elseworlds versions.

Tad, I think this comment deserves a well earned round of cyber applause. *APPLAUSE RESOUNDS* Thank you for saying it.

[longbowhunter]

Buutttt...what if this idea was a ride at Universal Studios? Or better yet,during Halloween,Universal turns all their parks into Horror Themed Haunted Houses complete with monsters running around terrorizing guests. Sounds like a perfect setup to have HB and Abe running around the park interacting with guests...

[Poe Ghostal]

As to comic versions, I'd rather have new "real Hellboy" stories than Elseworlds versions.I don't think there's going to be any shortage of new Hellboy stories. Apologies for thinking some sort of fun crossover one-shot or something with the Universal Monsters would be fun...

Man. Tough crowd.

[Neil Hill]

No worries Poe. It was a great idea. Personally though, I'm with Tad. That's all I'm sayin.

[Tad]

I don't think there's going to be any shortage of new Hellboy stories. Apologies for thinking some sort of fun crossover one-shot or something with the Universal Monsters would be fun...

Man. Tough crowd.


You're right. It would be fun. But this crowd is like a pack of starving dogs who are being offered a rubber bone. Once DARKNESS CALLS starts we'll be getting plenty of Hellboy stories and Hellboy universe stories. That's when an Elseworlds idea would be cool. But first we want the "real" stuff.

And that goes for the animated universe too. Mike and I have plenty of ideas for movies. I wouldn't want to put them aside for a Universal monsters crossover. But as a short subject included on a DVD? That would be a kick. Even better would be a half hour featurette.

[Poe Ghostal]

I understand. I'm HB-starved, too.

I wasn't honestly thinking of a movie, i.e., Hellboy Meets the Wolf Man ("Wolves of St. August," anyone?). I'm sure they'd never do that. But I can see a one-shot comic, perhaps, or maybe something in the animated universe down the line.

It's just an amusing thought experiment (which is clearly what it was for GDT, too). And let's remember that the opening pages of Almost Colossus were an homage to the James Whale Frankenstein films (I think I read that in either the TPB or Art of Hellboy), so it's not as if MM hasn't played with the notion to some degree.

I still think a Victorian-era Hellboy would be awesome, though.

(And Tad--if, in some fantasy realm, Universal came to you and said they'd give you lots of money, time, carte blanche and a huge marketing budget to do Hellboy Meets Dracula in the animated universe--and MM was cool with it--you'd say, "Pass"? Seems to me that would be a pretty sweet deal with some great exposure...)

[Jon D.]

Okay, okay... i'm geeking out BADLY right now.

I have been gone for two weeks... or longer... because I moved, my whole world has turned upside down, my ricets has gotten bad and i've been in bed the whole time i've been here liturally, I felt like I didn't want to live anymore, I listened to Killswitch Engage and read Hellboy comics and that made my day man... and now this! I am the happiest person now!!!
Boris Karloff is my favorite! man... if they could somehow get Christopher lee involved i'd die from the awesomeness... ah man I may have said way too much man, I have to go calm down!

[Tad]

(And Tad--if, in some fantasy realm, Universal came to you ... --you'd say, "Pass"? Seems to me that would be a pretty sweet deal with some great exposure...)

To me, you're saying, "What if Universal gave you all sorts of money to do a 'Not Hellboy' but a merchandise-based stunt?" If Mike was cool with it, I'm sure he'd have some really neat take on it. But would Universal want Bela Lugosi as Dracula (which is what they own) or our own Dracula? Bela Lugosi exists in Hellboy's world making him into a real monster would probably bring a lawsuit from his family. Same with Karloff's.

Again, in a goofy, Abbott and Costello way, this could be fun. I'm answering this question way more seriously than necessary. If we did a serious Hellboy movie with Universal's Frankenstein monster, we would probably pass on ever doing Roger. The stories are too similar. And our second movie is a vampire story so doing Dracula would already feel like a rerun.

Here's the deal: Mike and I have briefly chatted about all sorts of movie ideas. Most fall in the "I can't wait to get to that" variety. If someone with alot of money said, "I want you to do a tie-in with my character or theme park," it means putting those stories aside. Not that we couldn't come up with a great story that includes Vin Diesel, or Universal Studios tour or the Keebler elves but we'd be starting with someone else's inspiration. AND now that I think of it, the deal would include a whole bunch of people giving notes to protect their characters.

I hope this isn't coming off pissy. I'm just thinking this through. For all I know I'll get a call from Guillermo and the problem will become all too real for me. But Mike goes through the same thing in comics which has been discussed here at length. If he did what his fans wanted - just draw and write Hellboy - there'd be no Lobster Johnson mini or Abe Sapien series - and no <cool project that hasn't been announced> and that doesn't even include the stuff he has notions about but aren't yet ready for prime time.

Anyway, as a one off it'd be fun. Something not to think too hard about. Think of the story, "Pancakes." Is that canon? Not so fast... you think that the same universe that spawned Hecate, the Ogdru Jahad, Rasputin, Bromhead and Ualac really included a kingdom of demons that was worried that Hellboy would eat a pancake?

You know what? I love that story and I don't worry about it's connection to everything else. So a featurette with Hellboy meeting the Universal monsters would be a lark. We'd probably suggest that it might have been a dream. But is it something I want to spend a year and a half on when I have a bunch of cool, original stories to tell?

Not so much.

It's weird. A couple of weeks ago, I asked the marketing people to throw out a whole "Happy Meal" type Hellboy promotion that would have been a "sweet deal with some great exposure." They even said, "I have a hard time thinking we would pass on a Jack in the Box promotion." I said it wrongly says Hellboy is for kids and would turn off the older audience and any promotion that doesn't let you use the word, "Hellboy," is probably not a good idea in the first place.

[Tad]

Geez, it didn't look like that many words when I wrote it. :o

[Poe Ghostal]

I felt like I didn't want to live anymore, I listened to Killswitch Engage and read Hellboy comics and that made my day man... and now this! I am the happiest person now!!! On a bizarre side note, I work in a library and Killswitch Engage came in the other day to film part of a video there. If you see them reading and drinking wine in a library in a video, that was my library ;)

[Jon D.]

Ah man, thats awesome! i'll be looking for that!
I hope to someday meet them, I talk with Joels(guitarist) brother from time to time tho... really nice guy.

[Poe Ghostal]

(lots of stuff by Tad)Okay!

First off, I did add the condition that you'd have carte blanche on the project. That meant you could use your own Dracula or Frankenstein's monster or whatever and there'd be no one telling you to protect their characters. Again, I was referring to a completely hypothetical situation.

Anyway, part of me was definitely playing the devil's advocate with the "sweet deal" stuff. I'm very aware of just how often a work of narrative art, i.e., a novel or comic or movie or whatnot, gets diluted by merchandising or adaptations. I miss the old days when I was part of a relatively small segment of society who were aware of The Lord of the Rings or, heck, even the Evil Dead movies. Now they've both got action figures and videogames and lunchboxes and flip-flops ;)

I used to joke about wanting action figures based on Beowulf but said that such figures would be like toys based on Paradise Lost. But now, thanks to the Gaiman/Avery production, there will indeed be Beowulf action figures in the near future. Not that I mind that much--I collect action figures--but there is part of me that finds it a bit annoying that this relatively obscure poem, often reviled by the high school students who are forced to read it (and which I wrote my senior thesis on) will soon be a big-budget movie. (I don't count The 13th Warrior since only geeks like me even know it was ever-so-loosely based on Beowulf.)

It's not like there's no precedent for this, even for Hellboy--he's had crossovers with Ghost, Painkiller Jane, Savage Dragon, Batman and Starman, and the Goon, and Mignola drew a Hellboy vs. Spawn piece for Wizard magazine. I feel like some of the Universal Monsters are arguably just as respectable, if not more so, than some of those characters. At the very least, I think a Mignola pin-up of Hellboy fighting, say, the Creature of the Black Lagoon would be cool (time frame works too--1954).

In the end, all I was doing here was saying, "Wouldn't this be kinda fun?" I wasn't saying "Man, I'd so love to see this instead of any new regular Hellboy stuff!" I mean, why would that even be up for discussion?

[Tad]

Sorry for taking the subject and running. I just erased another couple of paragraphs about what life was like before there were superhero action figures. In fact no Marvel merchandising at all. Then I came to my senses.

Thank God for the delete key.

[Tad]

Me again. I gotta tell ya, Poe Ghostal. Before this thread I was gritting my teeth about the possibility of the Universal thing. Now I'm kinda jazzed about doing something shorter that could be a DVD extra.

[gdeo]

I just thought about this today...Now that Universal has attractions at their parks based on their movies(The Mummy Returns,Fast and the Furious,Jurrasic Park,etc.,)do you the they would even consider an attraction based on HellboyII?!!!

[Sparky]

Not that we couldn't come up with a great story that includes Vin Diesel, or Universal Studios tour or the Keebler elves
http://www.phobe.com/crap/hb_cookie.jpg

[gdeo]

Let's take it a little further...(and I'm totally fooling around here) How about the merchandising at the park...a hat with broken off horns that can have your name stitched on (like the mickey ears at Disneyland)!!!You think Mike would sign off on something like that?!!:D

[Poe Ghostal]

Me again. I gotta tell ya, Poe Ghostal. Before this thread I was gritting my teeth about the possibility of the Universal thing. Now I'm kinda jazzed about doing something shorter that could be a DVD extra.You mean that cogent, civil discussion on an Internet forum led two people to understand one another's perspective? IMPOSSIBLE! ;)

Seriously though, it's kind of satisfying to have a good debate like that. I salute you.

[Tad]

Thanks for the post, Sparky. I'm kicking myself for not remembering that Hellboy story. Funny, I recall it differently.

Gdeo, I'm pretty sure Mike would take a pass on horned hats. The marketing people mocked up a headband with horns to give away at SDCC. We all passed. (Except for HellboyOne who I polled and said he'd totally geek out all day wearing it).

[gdeo]

I would have worn one also...Rick's not the only one.

[longbowhunter]

I think a small animated short as a DVD extra would be really cool. I probably wouldnt dig HB as much as I do if I hadnt grown up watching all those old Universal Monster movies!

[jackups]

I would just be pleased to see more Universal merchandise,Like when I went last year they had all the props from the mummy films ,I would be cool to se HB 2 movie props ,a right hand of doom,a Johann head,mabe a coat and some of the models.

lol a HB ride I go for that,lol and a kiddies center where you can play whack a mole with a hammer of the right hand of doom,lol

[longbowhunter]

Yeah,how cool would a Hellboy store be at Universal Citywalk?

[6are54]

Sparky, you're a blast!!!:D
I love all that photshop stuff you do..you seem to have my sense of humor.