It was just a couple weeks ago that Deadpool and Game of Thrones actor Ed Skrein admirably dropped out of the upcoming Hellboy reboot due to whitewashing. Now, reports are coming in that Daniel Dae Kim is in negotiations with Lionsgate and Millennium to take over for Skrein.
The studio was quick to replace Skrein after the backlash that followed his leaving, as well as trying to keep the production dates as the film is suppose to begin shooting in October.
Kim is best known for his roles as Jin-Soo Kwon on Lost and Chin Ho Kelly on Hawaii Five-0 — which he recently departed from this past June.
He will take on the character of Ben Daimio in Hellboy, a character who is of mixed-Asian race in the comics. The role will, presumably, be a larger one as Daimio is part of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense — which Hellboy is also a part of — and is known for mysteriously returning from the dead.
When Kim dropped out of Hawaii Five-0, he gave a relevant statement saying “The path to equality is rarely easy. But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am. 5-0 continues on after one of its strongest seasons. I’ve got new acting projects on the horizon…” As it turns out, that new project is Hellboy, and we couldn’t be happier about that.
Fans on Twitter also gave their support to the new, appropriate casting:
Hellboy is set to be released in 2018, and stars David Harbour — taking the mantle from Ron Perlman — as the title character. The film will be directed by Neil Marshall (The Descent) and also stars Milla Jovovich and Ian McShane.