Hello, everyone! It’s One Of Us’ weekly article series, “The Weekly Wrap-Up.” Covering everything from film announcements to comic books, “The Weekly Wrap-Up” ensures that the biggest stories of the week are analyzed and discussed by our team of writers. This week we cover Ron Perlman’s confusing comments on why he wants (doesn’t want) to be Hellboy again, the POV based action film Hardcore and the possible Godzilla vs. King Kong movie.
Ron Perlman Really Wants to Make Hellboy 3…But Doesn’t
Ron Perlman has made it his current mission in life to promote/complain about wanting/not wanting to do a third film in the Hellboy franchise. Those who’ve been following Perlman’s recent comments on Hellboy are well aware of the actor’s love for the character and his conflicting feelings about appearing as him again in another film. Even Guillermo del Toro, who is currently busy with several other projects, including a sequel to the Kaiju cult-hit Pacific Rim, has spoken little about returning to the cinematic franchise he helped spawn, only explaining that the second sequel would require a budget movie studios would be unwilling to provide. During a recent interview with the Empire Magazine Movie Podcast, Perlman revealed plot details that del Toro’s would want to tackle for the final film, specifically dealing with the apocalypse that Perlman’s Hellboy would bring about and the role in which his children would initiate those events.
“Guillermo told me what the resolve of the trilogy would look like, in broad strokes, and it’s such an amazingly theatrical, cinematic idea, that I found it essential that we do it. We were designed to be a trilogy, with a beginning, a middle and an end. We’ve only done two-thirds, so I feel that we’re not really done until we finish it…Holy sh*t, he’s the beast of the Apocalypse. He has to take down civilization. He has to. It’s non-negotiable. That’s the foundation for the story, and that’s why I think it would be a shame if we don’t do it.”
“The two twins: one would look like the mum and one would look like the dad. And one of them was going to be completely f**king corrupt, the other one angelic. Which one was which? Only Guillermo would make the f**ked-up-looking one be the angel. So then that adds to the saga.”
The likelihood of seeing a third film in the series on the scale that Perlman and del Toro want is very unrealistic at this point in time. If Hellboy were to eventually return for a final live-action adventure, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see him possibly star in his own Netflix series or something similar. Whether a Netflix-style series were to ever be considered, I’m sure Perlman would be overjoyed/unwilling to star/not star in it.
Trailer for POV Action Film Hardcore
The Toronto International Film Festival has showcased several films that are getting grand buzz as of late. This of course is a common practice that happens every year, weeding out the potential Oscar contenders from the future genre crown jewels. In the latter camp is the action film Hardcore, which starts Sharlto Copley and sells itself of the gimmick of being the first action movie shot entirely from first person POV. The official trailer for the Russian action production was released, showing our mostly unseen protagonist waking up after being given cyborg enhanced limbs and having little recollection of his past life. However, before he can even attempt to reconfigure his past, the lab he is in is ambushed, forcing him to go on the run and attack anybody on his tail by any means necessary.
Given this gimmick, it’s obvious that Hardcore isn’t going for the same TIFF audience as The Danish Girl. The insane action and stunt work on display here is trying to give the action movie experience a more personal touch, literally placing the viewer in the direct perspective of the action hero persona. It’s aiming to capture the same visceral raw energy as the bonkers level masterpieces Crank and Crank: High Voltage. I was reminded at many points during the trailer of that same POV cam footage style that made Neveldine/Taylor’s direction in those films so engaging. Unfortunately, their films that have followed High Voltage have shown that their style only goes so far to entertain before it can become obnoxious. Let’s just hope the Russian filmmakers behind Hardcore can learn from their mistakes.
Godzilla vs. King Kong Might Be Happening
Announced via Deadline, Universal Studios and Legendary Pictures’ next big cinematic collaboration will supposedly not only star Japan’s King of the Monsters, but also another kaiju with the moniker of “king.” Yes, in an effort to capitalize on the rising popularity of shared cinematic universes, the recently rebooted Godzilla might battle with King Kong in an upcoming film produced by Universal and Legendary. The last time the two giant kaiju tangled on-screen was in the 1962 Toho produced film, King Kong vs. Godzilla, which featured the giant ape getting captured by a greedy pharmaceutical company for nefarious purposes, only to escape and do battle with the rampaging Godzilla.
Though Godzilla vs. King Kong has not been officially confirmed by either studio, Jordan Vogt-Roberts’s King Kong prequel, Skull Island, remains on track for a March, 2017 release date, and Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla sequel, rumored to possibly feature other famous Toho creatures like Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah, is still currently set to be released sometime in 2018.
Honestly, it’s not that surprising that a project starring two of cinema’s “largest” stars might be in the works. Universal has been adamant about creating a shared “Monster Universe” for several years and it’s reasonable to guess that by incorporating Godzilla, who proved to be quite the box office draw in 2014, it couldn’t hurt their efforts in achieving that profitable dream. In any case, I’m sure we’re all very much looking forward to seeing King Kong lecturing us on the importance of eating plenty of vegetables.
