Hellboy Makeup Director Says Del Toro’s Movies Are A ‘Tough Act To Follow’

Millennium might be rebooting the Hellboy films directed by Guillermo del Toro, but that doesn't mean the first two Hellboy films are that easy to replace.

Sure, the studio might have chosen to create a more comic-accurate movie about the Unwilling Harbinger of the Apocalypse together with Neil Marshall and David Harbour, but Academy Award-winning makeup designer Joel Harlow knows that the Del Toro Hellboy movies are going to be a "tough act to follow."

Sitting down with IGN for a short interview, Harlow recognizes how difficult it will be to differentiate David Harbour's Big Red from the one brought to life by Ron Perlman in Del Toro's Hellboy movies.

"I love the Del Toro films and absolutely appreciate all the characters that were brought to life in them," the makeup designer told the publication. "It's a tough act to follow for sure, so we all made a conscious decision to not reference any of the live action versions that came before. We focused on the artwork and the comics.

Luckily, Hellboy comic book creator Mike Mignola serves as the reboot's executive producer and consultant, so Harlow has someone to approach to make sure the film's different characters get designs and alterations that would fit the vision of the film.

While fans were outraged by Millennium's decision to forego Del Toro's planned Hellboy 3 to opt for a reboot with Marshall, everyone eventually warmed up to the idea of a comic book-accurate Hellboy movie, especially after seeing Harbour dressed as the Harbinger of the Apocalypse.

Hellboy premieres on April 12, 2019.

Read: David Harbour Shares Motion Poster for Hellboy Reboot