Mike Mignola reveals the 'very weird way' David Harbour landed Hellboy role

We're only days away from an all-new reimagining of Hellboy being unleashed. In anticipation of this momentous occasion, creator Mike Mignola, along with the cast and crew of the new film, gathered for a special screening tonight in New York, which SYFY WIRE attended.

The second coming of everyone's favorite big-handed demon was helmed by The Descent director Neil Marshall, and will ignore the previous two entries directed by Guillermo del Toro.

"You know when you let go of it that it's in other people's hands, and I knew the right people had it," Mignola told SYFY WIRE on the red carpet ahead of the premiere. "It's darker than the comic, it tips a little more in the horror direction, which I expected from Neil Marshall. I'm very happy with the direction he took."

Aside from an all-new story, there's an all-new Hellboy, this time played by Stranger Things actor and expert Twitter user David Harbour. While Mignola didn't waste time fantasizing about casting his characters, he did reveal he played a part in Harbour landing the role, but "only in a very weird way."

"My wife and I were watching Stranger Things, and the minute David popped up on screen, she said, 'That guy should play Hellboy.' I never thought about it. I never thought about casting at all, but as soon as I looked at him in that way, I went, 'Of course, you're right.'"

Still, Mignola explained that he stayed silent about the whole revelation, only to get a call two weeks later suggesting Harbour for the role!

As for the changes, it's bittersweet, as del Toro's own interpretation of the Hellboy universe was something to behold, to say nothing of Ron Perlman's performance as Brother Red. Still, Mignola believes that Marshall and company have made something entirely their own, while staying true to his source material.

"For the fans of the comics, I would say this thing delivers more than any of the others what you loved about the comics. It's different, but it has so many more specific nods to the comic, the comics fans should be really happy with this."

You can catch Hellboy when it barrels into theaters on April 12, but leading up to that, stay tuned for more of SYFY WIRE's interviews from the red carpet!