Last week, British actor Ed Skrein was cast in the upcoming Hellboy reboot. The Deadpool star was set to take on the role of Major Ben Daimio, Hellboy’s fellow battle-hardened B.P.R.D. agent who happens to be a were-jaguar. Almost immediately after his casting was made public, a controversy began to swirl around the announcement. In the source material, Daimio is of Japanese-American descent and Skrein certainly is not. Accusations of whitewashing immediately erupted, setting the film alongside similarly-controversial productions such as Aloha, Ghost in the Shell, Power Rangers, and Death Note, among others.
Unlike those films, however, this production has opted to make a change in light of the whitewashing outcry. Today, in a lengthy statement, Skrein announced on that he is exiting the project…
Last week it was announced that I would be playing Major Ben Daimio in the upcoming HELLBOY reboot. I accepted the role unaware that the character in the original comics was of mixed Asian heritage. There has been intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement, and I must do what I feel is right.
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 voices in the Arts. I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.
I am sad to leave Hellboy but if this decision brings us closer to that day, it is worth it. I hope it makes a difference
With love and hope,
Ed Skrein
Good for you, Mr. Skrein. This is undoubtedly a classy, savvy move on his part. It is also a smart move on the part of the production, marking the first time in recent memory where outrage actually caused a change post-casting, at least as far as I can remember. Hopefully the production can rebound from this and cast a more appropriate actor in the role as it continues its path towards filming this fall.
Hellboy is based upon the comics by Mike Mignola. It is directed by Neil Marshall, from a screenplay by Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden, and Mike Mignola. The picture is produced by Larry Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Mignola, and Mike Richardson. The film stars David Harbour as “Anung Un Rama/Hellboy’, Ian McShane as ‘Trevor Bruttenholm/Professor Broom’, Sasha Lane as ‘Alice Monaghan’, and Milla Jovovich as ‘Nimue the Blood Queen’.
Hellboy is currently expected to arrive in theaters sometime in 2018.
