Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is a sequel to 2004's Hellboy, also directed by Del Toro. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is written by Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola. Universal Pictures finances and distributes the film, which has a target release date for July 11, 2008.

"Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" Begins Principal Photography
Principal photography has begun on the action-thriller "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" from writer/director Guillermo del Toro and film producers Lawrence Gordon (Hellboy, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Die Hard), Lloyd Levin (Hellboy, United 93) and Mike Richardson (Hellboy, Gone). The film will be released on August 1, 2008.

Del Toro, who most recently brought the Oscar(R)-winning elaborate fantasy Pan's Labyrinth to the screen returns to helm the second installment, starring Hellboy alums Ron Perlman (Outlander, The Mutant Chronicles), Selma Blair (The Fog, In Good Company), and Doug Jones (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Pan's Labryinth).

With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army." Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from del Toro.

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development -- pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann -- the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

The screenplay for "Hellboy 2" is written by Guillermo del Toro, from a screen story by del Toro and Mike Mignola, 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 has been expanded into best-selling animation and games.

The film also features British actor Luke Goss (Blade II, Undead) as the ruthless leader of the underworld, Prince Nuada, and actress Anna Walton (television's "Out of Hours," Vampire Diary) as his compassionate sister, Princess Nuala.

"Hellboy 2's" behind-the-scenes team includes Oscar(R)-winning director of photography Guillermo Navarro (Pan's Labyrinth, Night at the Museum) production designer Steven Scott (Hellboy, Doom), costume designer Sammy Sheldon (V For Vendetta, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and editor Bernat Vilaplana (Pan's Labyrinth, La Monja). Chris Symes (Eragon) is the executive producer of the film, with Mike Mignola serving as co-producer.

"Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" will film in both Budapest and the United Kingdom, with post-production based in London.

Synopsis

The Golden Army begins when an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken; Hell on earth is ready to erupt. Hellboy II tells the tale of a ruthless elven prince who treads the world above and the one below, defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. It's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders.

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) will travel between the surface world and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal, along with his expanding team pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann Krauss (John Alexander & Seth McFarlane), the newest member of the BPRD. Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who is accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

Production
In May 2004, the sequel to Hellboy entered development at Revolution Studios with the first film's writer-director Guillermo del Toro returning with producers Lawrence Gordon, Mike Richardson, and Lloyd Levin. The comic book creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola, was reported to develop a story with del Toro for the sequel, with actor Ron Perlman to reprise the role of Hellboy. The following September, del Toro expressed interest in making Hellboy into a trilogy with Mignola, with the first sequel slated for a 2006 release.

In August 2006, with Hellboy II being orphaned by the now-defunct Revolution Studios, the studio Universal Pictures acquired the project to be slotted for a summer 2008 release. Production was slated to begin in April 2007 in Budapest and London. del Toro, who had been in negotiations to film Halo, instead chose to stay with Hellboy II for "artistic and personal reasons." In October 2006, del Toro shared his plan to recreate the classic versions of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man. The director also reiterated plans for a third Hellboy to create a trilogy.

With the success of del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, the director was able to fast-track production of the sequel to Hellboy. Guillermo del Toro began filming Hellboy II in June 2007 in Budapest and concluded in December 2007. The official trailer for Hellboy II was available from Thursday, December 20th.

Neil Gaiman spent several days on the set to get pointers on directing from del Toro for use in his own upcoming directorial debut, Death and Me.

In February 2007, Mignola described the story he had developed with del Toro as one that focused on folklore and fairy tales, rather than the more pulp elements of the first film.
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Hellboy II: The Golden Army