Actor Jack Kesy will don comic book antihero Hellboy‘s iconic red makeup in the upcoming film The Crooked Man, from Millennium Media (who also have a long-delayed Red Sonja film coming up).

Crooked Man is set in 1950s America and finds a younger Hellboy stranded in rural Appalachia. He and a rookie agent at BPRD (the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy’s past, named the Crooked Man. Brian Taylor (Crank) is helming the project, while Hellboy comic book creator Mike Mignola is penning the script alongside Chris Golden.

Jack Kesy’s previous credits include small roles in the likes of Deadpool 2 and Without Remorse, though he also led films like the Lionsgate feature Dark Web: Cicada 3301 and Millennium’s The Outpost opposite Orlando Bloom. He takes over the role from Ron Perlman, and more recently from David Harbour.

“Jack Kesy is a dynamic actor who has the ability to morph into his roles. His talent and stature are perfect for this younger Hellboy. I was very impressed with him while working together on The Outpost,” said Jonathan Yunger, co-president of Millennium.

Though Millennium’s prior attempt to revive the Hellboy franchise in 2019 may have flopped, this project sounds promising. In an interview with Collider, Taylor stated: “The [Guillermo del Toro] movies were massive scale space operas and just pure Del Toro through and through. But some of the comics Mike [Mignola] was doing at the time had a very different feeling. More lean and mean, creepy folk horror. A younger Hellboy, wandering the dark corners of the world… Paranormal investigator, night stalker […] For me it’s my favourite version of the character.” He also promises this project will be R-rated, so keep your fingers crossed!