Exclusive: Hellstrom Reboot In Development For Disney+
We've exclusively learned that Marvel is creating a brand new Hellstrom series for Disney+.
This article is more than 2 years old
Sometimes movies or television shows come up that could have been really great–just full of potential–but they fail to hit the mark. Often, those aren’t the stories we see rebooted. Instead, studios take a project that was previously a beloved hit, something fans are resistant to having touched in a remake, and then make something new with that. Ultimately, this has been a winning strategy for a lot of projects, but it does get under the skin of fans. Now, though, Marvel is taking a different approach with Hellstrom, a piece of Marvel comics history that was recently a series on Hulu, canceled after one season. Thanks to work from one of Giant Freakin Robot’s trusted and proven inside sources, we’ve learned that Marvel is developing a Hellstrom reboot as a Disney+ series.
While the Hulu series missed the mark for many, Marvel is now ready to give the story another go. The timing for this makes total sense. While we weren’t able to learn how the Hellstrom reboot will tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we know enough to have some exciting ideas here. After the Fox acquisition happened for Marvel, they acquired the rights for Netflix’s Marvel characters, like The Defenders. Following Marvel Television folding into Marvel Studios they also picked up Hellstrom and Ghost Rider. In the Marvel comics, The Defenders, Hellstrom, and Ghost Rider have history. These are also all characters that have darker storylines than what you might see on Loki.
We were unable to learn how turning Hellstrom into a Disney+ series will affect the show’s content. On Hulu, the series touched dark topics. It didn’t have the action and blood involved in a series like Punisher on Netflix, but the story is generally a grim one. On the Hulu series, the tagline sold the show as two adults parented by a mysterious and powerful serial killer, now using their skills to hunt down the worst of humanity. For the comics, the original idea by Stan Lee was to do a series starring Satan. He saw the success of Ghost Rider and thought they should follow that up with something in the same vein. The idea evolved into the son of Satan and grew from there. Daimon Hellstrom first appeared in Ghost Rider, then his own run of comics, and then would frequently appear in The Defenders.
When Helstrom was created on Hulu, it was originally announced at the time they were making a Ghost Rider series as well. That was supposed to star Gabriel Luna as Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider. While Gabriel Luna’s project was canceled, Helstrom moved forward. Recently, we’ve also exclusively heard that Marvel is working on bringing Ghost Rider back and even want Gabriel Luna to work with them on the project.
Will they now connect their Hellstrom series with Ghost Rider? On Hulu, the intention was to create an interconnected world that would be called Adventures Into Fear. Now, with Hellstrom coming to Disney+, it’s unclear how the Marvel series will mix into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Will there be crossovers with The Defenders, Ghost Rider, and even shows like She-Hulk or Hawkeye?
Is there a possibility of the actors from the Hulu series coming to Disney+’s new Hellstrom series? We weren’t able to get definite answers on that at this time, but we’ll be watching for it. Since they’re interested in Gabriel Luna for Ghost Rider, they may consider it. The original Hulu series was poorly reviewed. Many noted that the actors seemed great, the special effects were awesome, but ultimately the characters fell flat. It’ll be interesting to see whether they approach those actors or start entirely fresh, and who they get working behind the scenes to help them set a tone for this unique and darker series. How will Marvel handle Hellstrom? How does this fold into their wider vision for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the ways it’s expanding on Disney+? For now, Hellstrom adds one more piece to the puzzle of where the MCU is going with their new characters.
