“Holy crap!” We finally have our first look at David Harbour in his full Hellboy getup. I think he looks amazing and almost identical to the version that we saw in Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The only difference between the two is that the newer version is slightly younger-looking, has scars instead of markings, and has longer, unkempt hair. I was a fan of the original Hellboy films with Ron Perlman and would have loved to see a third film in that series, but after seeing the new image, I am pumped for this new version. The only thing that perplexes me is why this new film was not made as a prequel?

(Beware: there are spoilers for the original Hellboy film below)

Originally titled Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, and now simply titled Hellboy, the film will have Hellboy (David Harbour) square off against a medieval sorceress named Nimue The Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich) who seeks to destroy humankind. The cast also includes Ian McShane as Trevor Bruttenholm and Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio. We do not currently know what time period this story will take place in, but if its a younger Hellboy, then it will most likely take place during the ’60s or ’70s. The writers could have easily crafted a story that would fit into Guillermo del Toro’s established universe.

In the original film, we first meet Hellboy as a baby during World War II. The next time we see him is when the film jumps forward to 2004. This gives us 60 years worth of stories that we could have seen with a younger Hellboy. That would give the studio good reason to recast certain roles with younger actors and not worry about characters such as Liz Sherman, who would not have been born yet. Just like with the X-Men franchise, if the prequel films do well, then they would have good reason to finance Guillermo del Toro’s third film. This would keep all films in the same continuity while also allowing fans of the original films to get some closure. We could definitely use some after the way Hellboy II: The Golden Army ended.

Hellboy is slated to be released in theaters in 2018

Are you excited for the Hellboy reboot, would you rather have a prequel, or would you rather get Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy III? Leave your comments below.