Hellboy is about to have a new Major Ben Daimio!
Hawaii Five-0 star Daniel Dae Kim is in talks to play the character in Lionsgate’s upcoming Hellboy reboot starring David Harbour, Variety reports.
Deadpool star Ed Skrein was initially cast in the role, but exited after backlash ensued -- in the comic books, the character is Asian.
"It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voice in the Arts,” Skrein tweeted as the reasoning for his departure. “I feel it is important to honour and respect that. [Therefore] I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.”
Hellboy is set to premiere in 2018.
Meanwhile, whitewashing in TV and movies is far from a new phenomenon, and this past year’s Oscars addressed Hollywood’s diversity problem head on.
Watch the video below for more.