Ron Perlman wants to return for Hellboy 3

'We owe this to the fans and we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion'

Almost 20 years after the actor transformed into the fictional superhero in 2004's Hellboy, then again in Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in 2008, Pearlman has spoken about the role he's desperate to reprise.

Pearlman says Hellboy - the first outing from Guillermo del Toro and his adaptation of the acclaimed comic book series created by Mike Mignola and also starring elma Blair, Jeffrey Tambor, Karel Roden, Rupert Evans, Brian Steele, Doug Jones, John Hurt, and Kevin Trainor - really left a mark on him.

For some 15 years there's been talk of a third installment, but the musclebound red beast has never returned. Instead of the demon baby breaking back onto the big screen there's been a re-boot of the franchise with Stranger Things' Hopper, David Harbour, taking over from Perlman.

Both critics and fans hate it. Currently it has a score of just 17 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

While speaking about his movie How I Got There, the topic of Hellboy came up and Perlman admitted that it was actually supposed to be a trilogy in the first place.

"If we were to make the third movie of the trilogy, I would love to do that, yeah," he admitted.

"It was meant to be three movies, so… I would go back and do it, if we could finish the trilogy. But those are the only circumstances."

Clearly Perlman's feelings have changed somewhat. Last year, during an interview with The Independent, Perlman claimed to be too old to play the part. However, he still thought it deserved another iteration.

"Am I eager to do Hellboy 3? No, I'm 71 f****** years old. We owe this to the fans. And we should give it to them because it would be an epic conclusion. So Guillermo, if you're reading, I'm not done pounding you to get this f****** thing done," he said.

After the David Harbour-led version crashed and burned, it was confirmed that a new adaptation of Mignola's comic book is being made by Millennium Media and director Brian Taylor (Ghost Rider, 2011), with Without Remorse's Jack Kesy as the title character.

The new movie, titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man, will follow the comic book arch by the same name written by Mignola and illustrated by Richard Corben, which was published in 2008.

"In the 1950s, Hellboy and a rookie BPRD agent, stranded in rural Appalachia, discover a small community haunted by witches, led by a local devil with a troubling connection to Hellboy's past: the Crooked Man," the synopsis reads.

The cast also includes Jefferson White and Adeline Rudolph, who will be playing Tom Ferrell and Bobbie Jo Song, respectively. The movie doesn't have a release date set, but is expected to hit cinemas next year.

Related links:

Red Dead Redemption 3 confirmed by Rockstar parent company

Dog runs away from home then watches entire Metallica show

Netflix drops trailer for Stephen Graham murder mystery series set in four different eras