Lionsgate’s upcoming Hellboy reboot nearly took a dive into the past.
Doug Jones, who played the amphibious Abe Sapien in Guillermo Del Toro’s two Hellboy films, was offered a cameo in April’s reboot, but couldn’t make it work.
“There was a chance that a cameo might have happened, but not as things progressed,” Jones tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Ron Perlman played Hellboy in the original films in 2004 and 2008, while Stranger Things star David Harbour is taking over the role in the reboot, which is not believed to include Abe Sapien.
“Reboot means recasting, and I’m told this first reboot does not have anybody in it from the original film,” says Jones, who currently plays the alien Lt. Saru on CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery. “I received an offer to do a cameo, but I was deeply immersed in Star Trek: Discovery when that offer came in, so I couldn’t do it.”
While his Hellboy future is firmly in the past, is it possible he could revisit a different role in his future? Jones played Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
“When I did the Silver Surfer in the Fantastic Four sequel, I had a three-picture deal. There were plans to have the Silver Surfer role doing more,” says Jones.
The Surfer, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, served as the herald of the planet-devouring entity Galactus, and is among the most popular Marvel characters never to be front-and-center in a film that’s been a hit with fans. Disney’s impending acquisition of 21st Century Fox means the character would be available for use in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Ant-Man co-writer Adam McKay has spoken openly about his desire to do a Silver Surfer movie.
“I’m not at the studio level, so I have no idea what happened from there,” says Jones. “I was onboard then, and I would be onboard now if the Surfer ever came back. He’s a beloved character and I would love to play him again.”
