UNIVERSAL CITY, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Guillermo del Toro will direct Universal Pictures' "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," which will continue the exploits of the humanoid hero from Hell and his partners in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development. "Hellboy 2," a Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd Levin production in association with Dark Horse Entertainment, will begin principal photography in April 2007 in Budapest and London, with pre- and post-production based in London. The film will be released worldwide in the summer of 2008.
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"Hellboy 2" will be directed by Guillermo del Toro, who most recently directed the elaborate fantasy "Pan's Labyrinth," which was received enthusiastically at this year's Cannes Film Festival and will be released in December. The screenplay for "Hellboy 2" is written by Guillermo del Toro, from a screen story by Mike Mignola and del Toro, based upon the Dark Horse comic created by Mike Mignola and the 2004 motion picture "Hellboy." The first installment, released by Revolution Studios in 2004, earned $100 million at the worldwide box-office and became a cult sensation when released on DVD. The character continues to be a top-seller in publishing and collectibles and is now expanding into animation and games. "Hellboy 2" will be produced by Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin and Mike Richardson. Chris Kenny is the executive producer of the film, with Mike Mignola serving as co-producer.
Ron Perlman returns to the title role as Hellboy, a humanoid creature born in the flames of Hell and brought to Earth as an infant. Raised in secret, the adolescent "HB" becomes an agent for the secret Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development (BPRD), a covert government agency which serves as the planet's line of defense against otherworldly evil. Selma Blair will also reprise the role of Liz Sherman, a pyrokinetic human who is HB's colleague and love interest.
"Hellboy 2" will expand the world of Hellboy and surround him with characters both new and familiar as he confronts a deadly threat to mankind.
In making the announcement, Universal Pictures Chairman Marc Shmuger and Co-Chairman David Linde stated, "All of us at Universal are delighted to be part of the continuing adventures of Hellboy and his universe, as there are few properties which offer this unique blend of action, humor and character- based spectacle. We are incredibly excited by the potential of this film and even more so to be working with Guillermo del Toro, whose vision for this film has ignited the fanboy imagination in all of us."
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (http://www.universalstudios.com/). Universal Studios is part of NBC Universal. NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric and 20% owned by Vivendi.
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