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'Hellboy' in U turn

Dark Horse hero finally finds a home

By MICHAEL FLEMING

The sequel to comicbook adaptation 'Hellboy' will go out through Universal after original pic's producer, Revolution, went out of business.

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Universal Pictures will fully finance and distribute "Hellboy 2," the Guillermo del Toro-directed sequel to the 2004 Dark Horse Comic-spawned film.

Studio picks up a project orphaned by Revolution Studios, which made the original and distributed through its deal at Columbia Pictures. With Revolution out of business, the sequel became available and Universal slotted it for summer 2008.

In a script by del Toro, Ron Perlman returns as Hellboy, the humanoid creature born in the flames of hell who was deposited on Earth's doorstep as an infant and battles otherworldly evil for a covert government agency. Selma Blair returns as the horned hero's pyrokinetic love interest.

Lawrence Gordon, Mike Richardson, Lloyd Levin and Roth will produce the pic, Mike Mignola co-produces and Chris Kenney is exec producer. Production starts in April in Budapest and London.

Original grossed $100 million worldwide.

"There are few properties which offer this unique blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle," said U Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger.