Like it or not, this is how it goes: For the next year, almost all talk surrounding Guillermo del Toro will pertain directly to Pacific Rim. (So long as the insane reactions to a Comic-Con presentation can, in a rare instance, pan out for the full-length experience, the discussion won’t be a waste of time.) del Toro, however, being a guy who always looks toward the future — mostly by setting up new projects as others are still being shaped — had some new things to say about a red-skinned hero with chopped horns.

Who else could I be referring to? EW brought up the subject of Hellboy 3, and it’s a question the director and Ron Perlman both responded to rather enthusiastically; they would not only “love” to create a third installment, but seemingly feel compelled to do one while the getting is good. Perlman, in his answer, explained that they’ve “set [Hellboy 3] up to have this unbelievable resolve,” and that, “in light of the scope that Guillermo is thinking of for the resolve,” never completing the task would simply be “a little bit of a shame.”

The biggest obstacle was stated succinctly by del Toro: “let’s see if somebody finances it.” And, yes, “obstacle” does feel like a proper word in this instance. Hellboy 2 probably made back a little bit of money, by the time home video sales and ancillary markets had their say — but studios, especially in this day and age, aren’t keen on making sequels to movies like that.

It’s not only, as Perlman said, a shame, but even worse when you remember del Toro‘s intention to have Hellboy, in his third outing, fight the Universal monsters. Wouldn’t even the most moderate of series fans want to see that? Though I know it’s a long shot — calling it that might even be kind — if Pacific Rim is the big hit Warner Bros. is hoping, maybe they, barring Universal’s sudden renewal of interest, could work something out. I know I’m speaking in terms of speculation and silly guesses, but it’s just about the best we can use at the moment.

Is Hellboy 3 even a real possibility?