Hellboy fans were perplexed when seeing a new still from the upcoming movie, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, as they had no idea a new film adapting the comic book hero was releasing

A film adapting comic book hero Hellboy is set to release soon - but fans had no idea a new movie was on the way.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man was confirmed as in development back in February 2023 but seems to have flown under the radar for even the most dedicated of film fans. Movie buffs on Twitter/X were stunned to see the announcement of the Jack Kesy-starring feature, which has since been mocked by those who remember the classic Ron Perlman original.

With Brian Taylor, director of Crank, Gamer and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance taking up the reigns as director on this latest instalment, movie-goers already seem unimpressed. They have since dubbed Kesy's portrayal "Hellbloke".

One user wrote: "This isn't Hellboy. This is, at best, Hellbloke. Some kind of Hellfella, I guess." Jay Bauman of popular YouTube channel Red Letter Media was also surprised to see there was a new Hellboy movie releasing soon.

He wrote: "Did anyone even know there was a new Hellboy moving coming out this year before yesterday?" Members of the public seemed as surprised as the Half in the Bag host, with one reply reading: "I learned by reading this tweet. I have no idea what movies are coming anymore."

Some movie fans are already writing the film off, with one joking Kesy looked "Hellaconfused" and another suggesting his Hellboy is "not red enough". A third referenced the Perlman and Guillermo del Toro Hellboy movies, writing: "When you order Del Toro's Hell Boy off Wish."

Yet some users are remaining optimistic of the new "Hellbloke" movie. One user suggested: "I find the smaller, horror-skewed story interesting, and a lower budget can make you take more swings. I can't get past the make up yet though."

Hellboy: The Crooked Man, which is based on the comic-book miniseries of the same name, is expected to be released later this year, although an official release date it yet to be announced.