Last Friday RT visited a post-production house tucked away in Soho, London where Guillermo del Toro happens to be hard at work frantically editing his blockbuster sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He graciously offered to personally screen us several brand new sequences from the film, with instructions to tell the world what we saw. So here goes, though remember, although we weren't screened anything particularly spoilerish, there's plenty of information within, so if you want your Hellboy fresh then click away now...

Int. Army Base, New Mexico - Night

First up, a pre-credit prologue sequence in which an 11 year-old Hellboy is in his pyjamas, brushing his massive teeth. The tyke playing him - apparently in heavy prosthetics - looks freakishly similar to Ron Perlman. In steps dad, Professor Bloom (played by a rakish looking John Hurt), who begins telling him the story of the titular Golden Army...



Cut to an animated sequence - modelled on puppet theatre - depicting a mythical battle between Magical Beings - lead by King Balor - and Man, all of whom are represented by Mike Mignola-esque stylised marionettes. Eager to win the war, the king enlists the help of master goblin blacksmiths to build an army of powerful mechanical soldiers - the titular Golden Army. However, after seeing the sinister metallic goons mercilessly butcher mankind, he has a change of heart, and brokers a truce with the humans. His son - Prince Nuada - looks on, clearly unhappy with the peaceful arrangement. Cut back to mini-Hellboy who, as he's tucked in to bed, says, "It's just a story, right, Pops?"

"Well my son," replies Professor Bloom, "I'm sure you'll find out..."

The use of puppet figures felt like an original and characteristically leftfield way to show this mythical, fantastical time - though del Toro told us the decision originally stemmed from budgetary concerns about shooting the entire prologue practically - and it's the first of several sequences we saw with the director's distinctive handprints stamped all over them, and with reverential nods to Hellboy creator Mike Minola's signature style.



Int. Blackwood Building - Night

Del Toro left the footage rolling, showing us a fiery, intense CG animated credit sequence, with the camera zooming through cogs and other arcane machinery - presumably the inards of the bullion-bound warriors of the title. The pounding opening music then cuts abruptly and we're now outside an auction house with a scene that introduces some of the villains of the piece. A plum-voiced auctioneer is going about his business flogging ancient artefacts when he - and the stiff-necked buyers - are interrupted by the not-inconsiderable sight of Luke Goss's ashen-faced baddie faced Prince Nuada, holding a ruddy great spear.

After berating the frightened onlookers for their modern, decadent complacency, he announces he's after one of the lots on sale. Behind them the door then bursts open, and the camera focuses on a huge metal hand on the floor attached to a chain. The chain is winched backwards, and as the camera pans back, we see the appendage belongs to Nuada's fearsome henchman Wink. We won't reveal any more, as the artefact in question is the story's key narrative drive, but Goss's look and performance - with the actor not looking dissimilar from his days in '80s boy band Bros - suggests a classic, slightly tragic, but still perversely evil new nemesis for Hellboy and his team.

Continue on to the next page for more exclusive concept art from Hellboy II!