As the Hellboy reboot gets set to start production next month, we’ve now had confirmation that the B.P.R.D. will indeed feature in this new outing for Big Red.

The news comes courtesy of Newsarama, with Mike Mignola confirming to the outlet that the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense will be a part of the picture. As Hellboy creator Mignola explained, “The B.P.R.D. figures into the movie. I don’t want to say who is and who isn’t in the movie. I think it’s fair to say, however, that the primary focus is Hellboy and not a B.P.R.D. team movie.”

The organisation has featured in the Hellboy comics throughout their run, and even had their own spinoff B.P.R.D. book. For those not familiar with this rag-tag group, they’re made up of the likes of pyrokinetic Elizabeth Sherman, the amphibious Abe Sapien, ectoplasmic medium Johann Kraus, and Dr. Kate Corrigan. In the previous two Hellboy movies, the B.P.R.D. and many of its key members – such as Selma Blair as Sherman, Doug Jones as Sapien, and Seth MacFarlane as Kraus – made appearances.

So far, Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen has David Harbour on board as Hellboy, Ian McShane as Professor Broom, and Milla Jovovich as the villainous Blood Queen. The Descent’s Neil Marshall is directing.

As ever, expect more on this as it continues to develop.