Ever since the release of 2008's "Hellboy: The Golden Army," there has been nonstop talk of the still-unmade "Hellboy 3." Just a quick glance at our "Hellboy 3" tag reveals that it's a popular area of discussion almost any time franchise star Ron Perlman is interviewed -- even though he now admits that it will "probably never happen."

In an interview with The Guardian, "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola discussed the odds of seeing another adaptation of his comic series. "Occasionally there are still some discussions about film or TV, but I'll believe it when I see it," said Mignola, who said that both he and "Hellboy" film star Ron Perlman don't have the power to get a third film going.

Mignola added that while he appreciates the attention and enthusiasm generated every time Perlman brings up "Hellboy 3," he's doesn't want "anybody ever again talk to me about doing a Kickstarter. We're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars; I don't see raising it in nickels and dimes. 'What do you mean you're not making a third one? Those movies were so good!' They didn't make a lot of money, and that's one of the big things people look for."

Mignola says the fact that he got two "Hellboy" films a "miracle" and that their existence shows the "power" of director Guillermo del Toro. "Back then, he was just a super enthusiastic guy who'd made a couple of pretty funky monster movies. But he was persuasive as hell and he fought like a dog to get these things made," said Mignola of the director.

Mignola also discussed his initial thoughts way back when Dark Horse optioned the first "Hellboy" film from him. "I thought: 'This is the greatest scam I'm ever going to run! You're going to give me money so you can maybe make a movie, but we all know you're never going to make the movie, so you're going to pay me money again, for nothing? That's great!' [But] then when they actually made the movie, holy shit. Now it's scary."

Mignola says he was afraid that the "Hellboy" film would "make 'Howard the Duck' look like 'Gone With the Wind'" and tank interest in his comic series. "I made up a new character and everything I had planned to do with Hellboy, I could roll over into this other character," said Mignola of his backup plan. "We eventually started doing it as a comic: 'Joe Golem, Occult Detective.' I made up this golem character I was going to do as a comic, and then I was going to do it as a novel, but really it was sitting off to the side, waiting for Hellboy to tank huge. For a long time he was just sitting on the sidelines, as my lifeboat." Thankfully, the "Hellboy" film didn't "destroy" the comic, and Mignola didn't have to execute his backup plan.