Hellboy 3

[GreenScar]

Pretty long wait, but the man is very busy.

Coming off a strong 2008 for “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” director Guillermo Del Toro sounds cautious regarding plans for a third installment. That doesn’t mean that he and Universal don’t have a tentative time table for “Hellboy 3,” however.

“We’re three, four years away from anything happening—so I don’t think anyone is, you know, in a big hurry,” he revealed in an exclusive interview with MTV News.

The Oscar-nominated director, who is now attached to a pair of “Lord of the Rings” prequel “Hobbit” films, has already expressed interest in returning to Mike Mignola’s Hellboy franchise when his schedule clears up. His latest response sounds like a clear confirmation that he and Universal still have the big red hero on their minds.

Even so, Del Toro has given his blessing for another director to take the director’s chair for a potential “B.P.R.D.” spinoff while he is occupied elsewhere. Following up Peter Jackson’s “LOTR” trilogy is, after all, no small undertaking. The Mexican-born director has a parade of production credits lined up as well, including Stephen King’s “Bag of Bones” and “Mother and Child” starring Naomi Watts.

With “Hellboy II” floating around now on DVD and Blu-Ray and the “B.P.R.D.” spinoff prospect dangling, there’s definitely fertile ground for something to happen with Hellboy while Del Toro is away. He has established himself as the go-to guy for the film franchise’s look, though, so a happy reunion with Universal and Dark Horse Comics in three or four years sounds like a solid bet.