Hellboy reboot: Daniel Dae Kim to replace Ed Skrein following whitewashing controversy

The actor is best known for playing Jin-Soo Kwon on Lost

Actor Daniel Dae Kim (Getty)

Earlier this year, Ed Skrein was praised throughout Hollywood for dropping out of the upcoming Hellboy reboot following backlash against his casting.

The actor was cast as Major Ben Daimio, a Japanese-American character. After learning about the source material, Skrien decided to step away so "the role can be cast appropriately”.

According to Variety, Daniel Dae Kim — a Korean-American actor best known for playing Jin-Soo Kwon on Lost — has now began talks regarding the role, the studio hoping to replace Skrein as soon as possible.

Kim recently made headlines after quitting Hawaii Five-0 after CBS failed to offer himself and costar Grace Park equal pay to fellow actors Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.

“As an Asian-American actor, I know first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities at all, let alone play a well developed, three-dimensional character like Chin Ho,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I will miss him sincerely. What made him even more special is that he was a representative of a place my family and I so dearly love. It has been nothing short of an honour to be able to showcase the beauty and people of Hawaii every week, and I couldn’t be prouder to call these islands home.”

Hollywood studios have been heavily criticised over the past year for ‘whitewashing’ various roles. Before the Skrein/Hellboy incident, there was an uproar over Scarlett Johansson's casting in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange, and Finn Jones in Iron Fist.

Meanwhile, casting continues on the Hellboy reboot, Stranger Things actor David Harbour taking the titular role while Ian McShane will play Professor Broom.

Neil Marshall — best known for directing horror film The Decent, along with various episodes for Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Hannibal — will helm the upcoming film, currently titled Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen.

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