"Hellboy" and "Hellboy II" director Guillermo del Toro recently dropped by Splash Page HQ to discuss his new book "The Strain," and while the horror novel is certainly a good read, we had to ask about a few other important topics while we had the celebrated filmmaker's ear -- namely, the future of the "Hellboy" film franchise.

"I talked about that with [Hellboy creator] Mike Mignola, and I respect very much his decision," Del Toro told MTV News when asked if he had any plans to expand the "Hellboy" movie universe into comics. "He said to me, people have enough trouble distinguishing what comes from the movie and the comic." Read more...

FROM MTV MOVIES: Ever since the first caveman hit the second caveman over the head with a Brontosaurus bone, mankind has been fascinated by a fight. Man vs. man, woman vs. woman, whether it's over a spurned lover, stolen property or a simple "yo' mama" joke, few things are more exciting to watch — and once again, the MTV Movie Awards is here to recognize the most memorable brawls and battles of the past year.

Chances are you've never personally witnessed a battle between a demon and a supernatural prince; a pair of impossibly handsome vampires; a caped crusader and an anarchic clown; or two bridezillas brawling in the aisle. OK — if you went to college, you've probably seen three stoners trashing an apartment.

Be sure to head on over to the Best Fight voting page, where all of the above are currently embroiled in the final days of an even greater battle. The winners will take home the big trophy Sunday evening at 9 p.m. ET — but first, at the risk of angering some obviously hot-tempered talents, we handicap the competition.

For our full breakdown of the MTV Movie Awards "Best Fight" nominees, head over to Movies.MTV.com.

FROM MTV MOVIES: Luke Goss played such a badass in "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" that he's up for two MTV Movie Awards come May 31: Best Villain and Best Fight. While he thinks he has a pretty good shot at Best Fight, he wouldn't mind losing the Best Villain trophy to a certain "Dark Knight" star.

"The late, great Heath Ledger! That's beyond tough competition," said Goss, who played Prince Nuada in the "Hellboy" sequel. "It's fun just to be nominated. He did a God-given performance. I think he should get it. He will get it. He should win given his performance. I think he's got everyone in his camp. I hope he wins it."

But Goss isn't willing to give away all his awards. He's also up for Best Fight, along with "Hellboy" star Ron Perlman, and given how much work he dedicated to the fighting in the film, he hopes he has a better shot at that one.

For more on "Hellboy II" star Luke Goss and the MTV Movie Awards, head over to Movies.MTV.com.

Voting is officially open for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, and you've never had more opportunities to let your votes do the talking when it comes to comic book movies.

Last year's wealth of films based on comic book properties is indeed reflected in this year's list of MTV Movie Award nominees, with 11 nominations spread over 7 categories -- from the grand "Best Movie" all the way to the most head-scratching "Best WTF Moment."

You can log in and cast your votes for all of the categories before Wednesday, May 27, but voting for "Best Movie" will remain open right up until the big show on Sunday, May 31. Read on for a roundup of the categories and nominees comic book fans should pay extra attention to this year. Read more...

It's no secret that movies based on comic books had a big presence at this year's Academy Awards. From "Wolverine" star Hugh Jackman kicking off the Oscars with a comics-friendly musical note to one of the final awards going to deceased "Dark Knight" star Heath Ledger for his portrayal of The Joker, there was a lot for comics fans to like about this year's Oscars.

While much of the comics-savvy masses were happy just to be recognized by the Academy, the final tally of awards did leave some fans wondering whether the night should be viewed as a snub for the genre or the first step toward greater respect for comic books as a medium. In order to get some perspective on what the night meant to the comics industry, I asked various comic book creators to offer up their thoughts on the Oscar results and what to take from the night's nominees and winners. Read more...

Sunday's much-deserved posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight" was arguably one of the event's biggest victories for fans of comic book movies, but Ledger's performance wasn't the only recognition the Academy gave to "The Dark Knight" and other comic book movies at this year's ceremony. All told, however, the wins came few and far between for films based on comics.

Along with Ledger's "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" win, "The Dark Knight" also took home Oscar Gold in the "Sound Editing" category. The second most successful film of all time, "The Dark Knight" received nominations in six other categories, several of which also included nominations for "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," "Wanted" and "Iron Man." Here's a roundup of how the nominations and wins broke down for comic book movies at the 2009 Academy Awards: Read more...

Coming off a strong 2008 for “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” director Guillermo Del Toro sounds cautious regarding plans for a third installment. That doesn’t mean that he and Universal don’t have a tentative time table for "Hellboy 3," however.

“We’re three, four years away from anything happening—so I don’t think anyone is, you know, in a big hurry,” he revealed in an exclusive interview with MTV News. Read more...

The nominees for the 81st annual Academy Awards were announced this morning in Los Angeles, and much to no one's surprise, Heath Ledger has been named as a nominee for "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" for his portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight."

"The Dark Knight" was also nominated for a number of ancillary awards as well, including nods for "Best Art Direction"; "Best Cinematography"; "Best Sound Mixing & Editing" (to which "Wanted" also received nominations); "Best Film Editing": "Best Makeup" (along with "Hellboy II") and "Visual Effects" (going up against "Iron Man" in that category). Read more...

As all of comicdom waits for Thursday, when the official nominees are announced for this year's Academy Awards, the film industry continues to heap praise on 2008's slate of films based on comic books. So far, we've seen "The Dark Knight" receive recognition from various industries -- including nods from the Directors, Screen Actors and Writers Guilds just to name a few (and not to mention, a Golden Globe win for Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker).

However, with today's announcement of the nominees for the 7th annual Visual Effects Society Awards, "Iron Man" and "Hellboy II" get their chance to join "The Dark Knight" in the awards spotlight. Read more...

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" hit shelves last week on DVD and Blu-Ray, and the occasion certainly didn't go unnoticed by everyone responsible for making Hellboy as big a success in theaters as he is in comics. But at the "Hellboy II" release party, there was more than just the film itself being celebrated.

In the video we've posted here, you can see director Guillermo del Toro explain some of the very special special features you'll be able to find on the various editions of the film now on shelves, including an interactive "Comic Book Builder" available on Blu-Ray and the upcoming debut of new online comics by longtime Hellboy artist Guy Davis. Possibly the most intriguing aspect of the "Hellboy II" release party, though, was Del Toro's announcement that he'll be participating in one of the very first Q&A sessions on BD-Live, the interactive component of Blu-Ray media. The Q&A will occur this Sunday, November 23.

You can pick up "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" on DVD or Blu-Ray now, and we're pretty sure you're going to need it to participate in that BD-Live chat with Guillermo del Toro -- so you've been warned!

Intrigued? Already own a copy? Planning to participate in the BD-Live Q&A? Let us know in the comments!