Deadline reports that Hellboy: The Crooked Man has tapped actor Jack Kesy to play the title character in Millennium Media's upcoming reboot.
While we wouldn't go so far as to say he's a relative unknown, the actor has mostly played supporting roles in big movies, such as Black Tom in Deadpool 2. Despite that character being a key part of Wade Wilson's story on the page, he was just another criminal in the 2018 sequel whose story ended with a bullet to the head from Cable!
Still, this is an exciting development for the actor's career after solid turns in the likes of 12 Strong, Baywatch, and The Strain.
"Jack Kesy is a dynamic actor who has the ability to morph into his roles," says co-President of Millennium Media, Jonathan Yunger, of the casting. "His talent and stature are perfect for this younger Hellboy. I was very impressed with him while working together on The Outpost."
Brian Taylor (Crank, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) will direct what's being described as a movie that expands Hellboy’s world through one of the most beloved issues of the comic series. Hellboy's creator, Mike Mignola, meanwhile, has penned the screenplay alongside his Dark Horse Comics collaborator Chris Golden, so it's a project that definitely has potential.
Hellboy: The Crooked Man follows Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent stranded in 1950s rural Appalachia. There, they discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past: the Crooked Man.
On the page, The Crooked Man was an eighteenth-century miser and war profiteer named Jeremiah Witkins who was hanged for his crimes yet returned from Hell as the region's resident Devil.
You may also remember Kesy from his work in Dark Web: Cicadia 3301 and Without Remorse, and it's fair to say this could be a star-making project for the actor. At 36, he's not as young as previous comments from Taylor suggested this new take on Hellboy might be, but is 11 years David Harbour's junior and considerably younger than 72-year-old Ron Perlman.
More Hellboy: The Crooked Man casting is thought to be imminent so stay tuned.