Daniel Dae Kim in talks to join ‘Hellboy’ reboot after ‘whitewashing’ controversy
Daniel Dae Kim is being eyed to join “Hellboy” after actor Ed Skrein resigned from his post.
The reboot raised controversy when it cast Skrein as an Asian character.
This led to criticism that this was yet another movie to practice “whitewashing” in Hollywood, which is when white actors are cast for characters that are people of color.
Movies like the sci-fi action movie “Ghost in the Shell” have received flak: white American actress Scarlett Johansson was cast as a Japanese cyberhuman, when the original anime and manga featured Japanese characters.
Skrein, who has acted in “Deadpool”, was cast as United States Marine Major Ben Daimio.
Following negative comments, he took it upon himself to step down, and shared the message: “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.”
He adds: “I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.”
The studio, Lionsgate is now set to replace the actor with Korean-American actor Kim, reports Variety.
Image: Facebook/Daniel Dae Kim
This comes after Kim and actress Grace Park left “Hawaii Five-0” over a pay dispute. The two sought equal salaries with actors Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan, but couldn’t come into agreement with network CBS.
David Harbour (“Stranger Things”), Ian McShane (“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”) and Milla Jovovich (“Resident Evil”) have been cast in the film which is set to hit theaters in 2018. Niña V. Guno/JB
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