Early Wednesday morning (very early), we were invited to see 10 minutes of footage from one of the year’s most eagerly awaited movies Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The sequel to 2004’s surprise hit, again directed by Guillermo del Toro, hits US screens on July 11 and the UK in August. But the early rise was worth it, because the director himself was on hand to introduce the footage and later conduct interviews with a few select members of the press (even Screenjabber!!
With a temporary soundtrack and some visual effects yet to be finalised, the clip nonetheless whet the appetite for the film, — aided, of course, by the recent barnstorming trailers. The scene in question follows our titular hero and his two accomplices (Liz Sherman and Abe Sapian) as they investigate an incident involving "other-worldly" creatures. The film itself expands on this and delivers a full-blown war between the Mythical and Human worlds ... and one would assume it involves a golden army of some sort. Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy and is joined by Selma Blair, Doug Jones and (ahem) Luke Goss. Actually the one-time boy band member also starred in Del Toro’s Blade sequel and did a rather sterling job, so no need to panic. Anyway, back to the scene. There is a notable twist that sets up a tantalising premise involving Hellboy and Liz as well as the ever-present dark humour established by the predecessor.
With a plethora of superhero movies this summer, it is going to be tough for any non-bat related franchise to stand out, but Hellboy II could well offer something special. We’ll run our full interview with del Toro closer to the UK release. In the meantime, enjoy some of the EXCLUSIVE images below ... and let’s start counting the days, shall we? — Cassam Looch
